The Role of Perceptions in Conflict

As noted in our basic definition of conflict, we define conflict as a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns. One key element of this definition is the idea that each party may have a different perception of any given situation. We can anticipate having such differences due to a number of factors that create " perceptual filters" that influence our responses to the situation:

· Culture, race, and ethnicity: Our varying cultural backgrounds influence us to hold certain beliefs about the social structure of our world, as well as the role of conflict in that experience. We may have learned to value substantive, procedural and psychological needs differently as a result, thus influencing our willingness to engage in various modes of negotiation and efforts to manage the conflict

· Gender and sexuality: Men and women often perceive situations somewhat differently, based on both their experiences in the world (which relates to power and privilege, as do race and ethnicity) and socialization patterns that reinforce the importance of relationships vs. task, substance vs. process, immediacy vs. long-term outcomes. As a result, men and women will often approach conflictive situations with differing mindsets about the desired outcomes from the situation, as well as the set of possible solutions that may exist.

· Knowledge (general and situational): Parties respond to given conflicts on the basis of the knowledge they may have about the issue at hand. This includes situation-specific knowledge (i.e., " Do I understand what is going on here? ") and general knowledge (i.e., " Have I experienced this type of situation before? " or " Have I studied about similar situations before? "). Such information can influence the person's willingness to engage in efforts to manage the conflict, either reinforcing confidence to deal with the dilemma or undermining one's willingness to flexibly consider alternatives.

· Impressions of the Messenger: If the person sharing the message - the messenger - is perceived to be a threat (powerful, scary, unknown, etc.), this can influence our responses to the overall situation being experienced. For example, if a big scary-looking guy is approaching me rapidly, yelling " Get out of the way! " I may respond differently than if a diminutive, calm person would express the same message to me. As well, if I knew either one of them previously, I might respond differently based upon that prior sense of their credibility: I am more inclined to listen with respect to someone I view as credible than if the message comes from someone who lacks credibility and integrity in my mind.

· Previous experiences: Some of us have had profound, significant life experiences that continue to influence our perceptions of current situations. These experiences may have left us fearful, lacking trust, and reluctant to take risks. On the other hand, previous experiences may have left us confident, willing to take chances and experience the unknown. Either way, we must acknowledge the role of previous experiences as elements of our perceptual filter in the current dilemma.

3. Answer the questions:

What factors create “perceptual filters” in conflict?

How can culture, race, gender, knowledge influence?

How can general or situational knowledge influence the person’s willingness to manage the conflict?

How does the messenger influence our responses?

Is previous experience an element of perceptual filters?

Why should we pay attention to previous experiences?

Among them what influence more/less our perception of situation?

4. Match the following words with the translation:

to anticipate сознавать

substantive неохотный

willingness честность

to engage кричать

pattern на первый взгляд

to reinforce предвидеть

immediacy тщедушный

mindset тип мышления

at hand тип, модель

to yell заниматься

diminutive незамедлительность

credibility вероятность

to acknowledge усиливать

integrity готовность

reluctant материальный

Unit 7

1. Read the tongue– twisters as fast as you can

a) A pleasant place to place a plaice is a place

where a plaice is pleased to be placed.

b) How many cookies could a good cook cook if a good cook could cook cookies?

A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.