Management
Possible threats:
1. John’s is threat to lose his masculinity as his wife leaves him for another woman;
2. Sarah’s and Matt’s confusion by the fact of the breakup of their family;
3. John’s threat of the children being exposed to the lesbian relationship of Tracy;
4. Tracy’s threat that John will get the full custody of their children and will not let her visits them oft;
5. The threat that the children will suffer from the fact that parents cannot or do not want to negotiate.
How might Tracy answer if she was using avoidance tactics (denying the conflict, changing the topic of conversation, etc.)?
This tactic means that the person (Tracy), who turned in a conflict situation, prefers not to take any meaningful steps to address it, or change. So she will not answer. She will wait until the situation will be resolved by itself.
How might Tracy answer if she was using competitive tactics (trying to gain power)?
Tracy will desire to dominate and, ultimately, eliminate John as the opponent of the conflict. She will try to prove that he was always very busy with his work, and that he never paid much attention to their Sarah and Matt and their needs. She will assert that she should have custody of the children because she has cared for them all along - her relational status has nothing to do with the raising of her children. She will try to have custody of the children because it was she, who cared for them all along and, moreover, she is pretty sure that her relational status has nothing to do with the raising of Sarah and Matt.
How might Tracy answer if she was using compromising tactics (moderately assertive and cooperative)?
Tracy will use the mutual concessions; she will consent to partial satisfaction of their own common interests in exchange for partial achievement of interests on the other hand. She will not speak highly of John to other adults; she will not try to disparage him in front of Sarah and Matt. She will permit Sarah and Matt to continue contact with John because he is their father. She may also give the part of the custody of the children to John.
How might Tracy answer if she was using collaborating tactics (concerned with the needs of both sides)?
She will have commitment to the integration of the interests of John also. It will be in her interests to satisfy the basic interests John. She may give part of the custody of the children to John and instead she will ask John to accept the fact that now she lives with another woman. She will also may ask him to permit Katie visit Sarah and Matt.
How might Tracy answer if she was using accommodating tactics (setting aside her needs and trying to harmonize)?
Tracy will give all the concessions to John to achieve his interests, up to their complete satisfaction and rejection of her own interests. She may give full custody of the children and she will only have visitation rights separate from Katie or she even may broke up with Katie.
References
Dontigney, E., Media, D. (n.d.) 5 Conflict Management Strategies. [Information on a webpage]. Retrieved 11th December 2014 from: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-conflict-management-strategies-16131.html
