Communications

Conflict Communication Styles
Write report an on Direct Aggression vs. Passive Aggression/ Nonassertivness vs. Assertiveness.

should use at least two unique, credible, academic sources (other than the textbook) and list your works cited in APA at the end of the visual. Make sure your sources are referenced in parenthetical documentation when used in the visual as well.
To find your sources, use this LibGuide, which will guide you to some reputable sources for investigating theories.

ANSWER

Conflict Communication Styles

Overview

Conflicts are inevitable across various settings. Due to personal differences attributed to different backgrounds, individuals are expected to disagree on one aspect. Direct aggression is one of the approaches that portray these differences. Individuals use verbal or physical assault. These are direct mechanisms that enable people to understand the conflict that exists among people or groups. Passive aggression revolves around resistant behaviors that do not directly indicate the existence of a conflict. For example, procrastination and resistance to requests indicate a potential conflict at hand. Thus, direct and passive aggression are vital perspectives that deepen the understanding of an existing conflict among individuals and groups.

Direct and Passive Aggression Conflict Communication

Direct aggression is one of the communication styles that portray a conflict among persons or groups. Depending on the direct mechanisms and tactics that various parties direct towards each other, this helps people familiarize themselves with the prevalent conflict. It integrates face to face confrontations among the differing sides where they deliver harm through direct and verbal means (Richardson & Green, 2006). This shows that direct aggression encompasses behaviors like verbal, physical assault or threats of harming the other person. Anyone present when any of these behaviors is directed to another person will realize that the two parties have conflicting issues. For example, if one person throws a blow at the other, this shows that the two are experiencing conflicting interests. Also, a statement like, “I can make your life miserable”, shows a present conflict and is often interpreted as a threat of causing harm.

Passive aggression entails indirect tactics that communicate about a conflict between individuals or groups. It comes out as harmful inactivity or omitted active engagement (Schanz et al., 2021). This indicates that individuals might not directly show that they have differences with other people, but their behavior portrays otherwise. For instance, the lack of social support might show the existence of a conflict. Passive-aggressive behaviors are evidenced in the form of resistance to demands or through procrastination. For example, if a person asks another to handle a task for them but exhibits resistance to this request, this could indicate a conflict. Also, procrastination can expose a person as having a conflict with another. For instance, if a request is always pushed forward to an unknown time of day, this could be interpreted as a present conflict with the other person. Passive-aggressive communication tactics possess enormous harm. As Hughes and Brown (2018) states, it can create a toxic and hostile environment, especially in the workplace. This is because it has the potential to develop fear, frustration, and resentment.

Analysis and Conclusion

Conflict communication revolves around the use of direct and passive aggression tactics. They enable the parties involved and other individuals to understand the conflict between the involved segments. A passive-aggressive strategy is better positioned to communicate about prevalent conflicts than direct ones. This is because they do not affect the space and rights of other people. Even though they might be misinterpreted due to their indirectness, they protect other people’s rights and welfare. On the other hand, direct aggression tactics can harm the rights and well-being of the differing parties. For example, by causing physical harm by throwing verbal insults, the perpetrators interfere with the targeted person’s health and self-esteem. Thus, individuals must learn to utilize passive aggression mechanisms when communicating about a potential conflict at hand.

References

Hughes, C., & Brown, L. M. (2018). Exploring leaders’ discriminatory, passive-aggressive behavior toward protected class employees using diversity intelligence. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 20(3), 263-284. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422318778002

Richardson, D. S., & Green, L. R. (2006). Direct and indirect aggression: Relationships as social context. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(10), 2492-2508.

Schanz, C. G., Equit, M., Schäfer, S. K., Käfer, M., Mattheus, H. K., & Michael, T. (2021). Development and psychometric properties of the test of passive aggression. Frontiers in psychology, 12.