Conflict Resolution: How you fight sets the course of the relationship.

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Liamson

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2010
3,078
69
48
#1
Seeing a few of the arguments we've had in here recently reminded me of my old Marriage and Family counseling classes.

A few key terms...

Gunnysacking - has been described as 'an alienating fight tactic in which a person saves up, or gunnysacks, grievances until the sack gets too heavy and bursts, and old hostilities pour out'

Stonewalling - Refusing to Communicate or Cooperate. It can be someone deflecting the question, changing the subject, playing dumb, refusing to answer or delaying answering inevitably.

Character assassination - is an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration, misleading half-truths, or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. It is a form of defamation and can be a form of ad hominem argument.




Essentially, the point of any argument in a relationship is to come to a mutually agreed understanding, under the consent of both parties.

However often in a relationship, people use arguments as forms of manipulation or discipline. Which I think if you start an argument with the thought of, "I'll teach them a lesson." You're going to have a bad time.


People who argue about things, usually a mutually inclusive pronoun, such as we, us, and our, seem to have better long term success in conflict resolution than people who use You, Me, I, Yours, Mine, etc.


Anyways, such ideas came into my brain when someone mentioned CCers from this forum getting married. I had to chuckle because, I can't imagine it.


What are your thoughts?
 

Fenner

Senior Member
Jan 26, 2013
7,507
111
0
#2
My husband and I are both Gunnysacks. Neither one of us like confrontation, so when we have an argument we both sort of blow. I know that's not a good thing. And I don't want to get to weird here, but I hate when I hear the term angry sex. I can't have sex with him when I'm angry. I usually go do laundry, so I can hide in the basement and fold towels in a stern through them down kind of way.

I don't see any Gunnysacks on Christian Chat, but people can be different online. I have seen someone say something then another member will scour old posts and post something they said that is supposed to be contradictory to what that person said. Like calling the person out trying to make them look bad. That seems like an attempt at character assassination, but in my eyes that makes the other person seem petty. I am praying for the people/person I see doing that, I think it's very sad.

I've also seen stonewalling, especially in the Bible Discussion forum, not open to anyone else's opinion or ideas.

I see a few here that I think would make a good match, but distance would probably make those matches difficult.
 
K

kenthomas27

Guest
#3
Seeing a few of the arguments we've had in here recently reminded me of my old Marriage and Family counseling classes.

A few key terms...

Gunnysacking - has been described as 'an alienating fight tactic in which a person saves up, or gunnysacks, grievances until the sack gets too heavy and bursts, and old hostilities pour out'

Stonewalling - Refusing to Communicate or Cooperate. It can be someone deflecting the question, changing the subject, playing dumb, refusing to answer or delaying answering inevitably.

Character assassination - is an attempt to tarnish a person's reputation. It may involve exaggeration, misleading half-truths, or manipulation of facts to present an untrue picture of the targeted person. It is a form of defamation and can be a form of ad hominem argument.




Essentially, the point of any argument in a relationship is to come to a mutually agreed understanding, under the consent of both parties.

However often in a relationship, people use arguments as forms of manipulation or discipline. Which I think if you start an argument with the thought of, "I'll teach them a lesson." You're going to have a bad time.


People who argue about things, usually a mutually inclusive pronoun, such as we, us, and our, seem to have better long term success in conflict resolution than people who use You, Me, I, Yours, Mine, etc.


Anyways, such ideas came into my brain when someone mentioned CCers from this forum getting married. I had to chuckle because, I can't imagine it.


What are your thoughts?

Gunnysthacking?

Sthoningwalling?

Character Asthasthination?

It'sh just anthing with an sth with you, isthn't it?






You're disthpicable



I'm a sthonewaller btw. Deflecthion from me is consthidered art form around my peers. When I sthee a disthpairing remark thrown my way, I will usually duck. He he he.
 

maxwel

Senior Member
Apr 18, 2013
9,372
2,448
113
#4
Conflict Resolution


Why resolve a good conflict?

How boring.

: )
 

SparkleEyes

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2013
771
21
18
#6
Neither my ex and I liked to confront each other. I'd be the one to bring up an issue, because i'd had enough and thought we needed to at least try to discuss it. He is a much better arguer (had experience as a debater) and would usually "win" the argument because he could come up with the words much more quickly than I could. Even if he was wrong, he sounded right. He was a bully. It was very frustrating....and just one of our problems. :mad:
 
M

MissCris

Guest
#7
If I know that my words/thoughts/feelings are going to be received badly by a person, I have a tendency to do the gunnysack or stonewalling thing. Which doesn't help anything, I know, but if it's going to turn into a fight whether I speak up or not...then I feel like it doesn't really matter.
If, however, I know that the person actually cares and isn't going to flip out because I feel a certain way, or because I have a different opinion, or whatever...
Then I think I'm pretty open and honest when there's any kind of problem.
 
I

iTOREtheSKY

Guest
#8
I'm not sure any of the terms apply to me really...ummm..I guess I am pretty confrontational. I hate to argue. But if I think there is a problem I will address it. If that person refuses to communicate to me what's wrong or whatever issue is in needing of resolution,then I suppose after some time I might just stonewall. I will eventually give up & refuse to communicate.

I despise manipulation in a relationship...if there's a problem,let's deal with it. Scream at me if it helps. I am a big boy I can handle it. But,just don't shut me out or play games. I think as long as both parties involved will at least "try" to get through the debate,or argument without acting foolish...even if you both don't fully agree with one another,you can still come to some sort of middle ground and have peace without hidden resentments or hurt.

Then again...maybe I live in a fantasy world,what do I know? lol
 

Liamson

Senior Member
Feb 3, 2010
3,078
69
48
#9
Sometimes I think children get along and negotiate better than adults.

Having been in a few relationships, I can say that different people deal with conflict very differently.

But in my experience one of the key things is to Validate what a person is feeling when they bring something up.

So after a long day of having fun at the beach, I hang my wetsuit in the Laundry room but, its dripping on her bathrobe.

How she reacts, and my reaction to this will set the stage for what happens next.

It could go something like... "Don't sweat it but, be sure and put this somewhere that isn't going to run all over my schtuff next time."

or... "You got water ALL OVER MY BATH ROBE! In broad daylight, you picked up your wetsuit and got water all over my bathrobe. Now there's water all over my bathrobe. Did you even look at what you were doing? Look at this, its all wet now."

or... "Hey you with the face. Yeah you, hang this somewhere else. You got water on my bathrobe."

or... "Sweetie, You can't put this here. We have to find someone else to hang this cause it got water on the bathrobe."



To various degrees they are pretty much saying the same thing. But sometimes what we say is just as important as how we say it.
 
Sep 6, 2013
4,430
117
63
#10
To various degrees they are pretty much saying the same thing. But sometimes what we say is just as important as how we say it.
It's all in the tone. Well, some of it is in the words, but most of it is in the tone.
 
Dec 21, 2012
2,982
40
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#14

What... have I done...
It's been quite helpful!

Recall that the concept of alpha males and alpha females is derived from the "pecking order" of certain pack animal species. This is fairly recent scientific work, it was first described by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921. (Pecking order - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So I said to myself, Praus, anthropological social organization theories (outcasting, etc.) that disregard the Spirit, we may as be language-using chickens. So I'm running with the chicken meme and I'm running fast!


peck.jpg
 

Rachel20

Senior Member
May 7, 2013
1,639
105
63
#15
It's been quite helpful!

Recall that the concept of alpha males and alpha females is derived from the "pecking order" of certain pack animal species. This is fairly recent scientific work, it was first described by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921. (Pecking order - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So I said to myself, Praus, anthropological social organization theories (outcasting, etc.) that disregard the Spirit, we may as be language-using chickens. So I'm running with the chicken meme and I'm running fast!


You better run fast, before the Bengal Tiger arrives.
Rawr! .....


 
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phil36

Senior Member
Feb 12, 2009
8,260
2,111
113
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#16
My grandad would always say the best words a man can learn when getting marred are:


"Yes, Dear" now that's real manly conflict resolution :)
 
May 9, 2012
1,514
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#19
This applies not only to married couples but the entirety of relationships as a whole :) Well written, Liamson.