Practical Application

Below is an episode of Roseanne. After you watch this, I will analyze and break down the conflict style in which Dan uses during the finale.

 

At first, Dan is lying. This is an avoidance approach. Eventually, things escalate from not expressing the emotional toll he is withholding. This is when he begins to break things. Anger finds its way to rear its ugly head. He explains his inability to follow a health plan is due to the overbearing nature of Roseanne. 

Although Dan is absolutely justified in his resentments, it is not conducive to a healthy conversation if he chooses to not remain level. He needs to first assess what brought each him and Roseanne to the point of discontent. Then, he needs to recognize the emotions he is feeling, and why he is feeling them. Lastly, it is imperative that Dan assesses whether or not fighting is going to resolve the issue. Having an open discussion would have yielded results where both he and Roseanne could collaborate. This is the type of conflict in which there is time to find the best solution for both parties, therefore effort needs to be put forth to come up with a resolution that is beneficial for both.