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Conflict Unraveled: Fixing Problems at Work and in Families
Silver Award winner for Book of the Year from ForeWord Magazine.
Perceptive, original and often very funny, Conflict Unraveled offers expert insights into solving problems and being more effective at work and at home.
Perceptive, original and often very funny, Conflict Unraveled offers expert insights into solving problems and being more effective at work and at home.
264 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 8, 2020
Love this book - re-reading it. Helped me see where I was escalating conflict all the time with my partner.
July 10, 2015
This book was phenomenal. It is a mix of basic common sense, strategy, psychology, and communication.
Before jumping into the meat of the matter, Media defines flooding and monitoring. Flooding is essentially when your emotions get the best of you in a conflict and you can't think straight to rationalize your way out of the conflict. Monitoring includes the physical actions you do that show you disapprove of or are unhappy with the situation such as rubbing your nose or sighing or tapping your pencil. These are usually done subconsciously.
After this, Medea describes three levels of conflict (problem solving, power plays, and blind behavior) and explains solutions to conflicts on these different levels.
As a husband, I found the chapter on direct and indirect conversation particularly interesting. As fate would have it, my wife and I are opposites. As a teacher, I have lived the chapters on villains, victims, heroes and Bevel's levels. The villains, victims, heroes chapter went into the psychological roles we can play in conflict (whether we take up the role, or it is placed upon us), and Bevels levels described a method for understanding the other side and still working with them to accomplish the common goal.
The writing is basic making this a quick read, but the author has a lot of good ideas and examples that need to be mulled over. Definitely a good read for anyone!
Before jumping into the meat of the matter, Media defines flooding and monitoring. Flooding is essentially when your emotions get the best of you in a conflict and you can't think straight to rationalize your way out of the conflict. Monitoring includes the physical actions you do that show you disapprove of or are unhappy with the situation such as rubbing your nose or sighing or tapping your pencil. These are usually done subconsciously.
After this, Medea describes three levels of conflict (problem solving, power plays, and blind behavior) and explains solutions to conflicts on these different levels.
As a husband, I found the chapter on direct and indirect conversation particularly interesting. As fate would have it, my wife and I are opposites. As a teacher, I have lived the chapters on villains, victims, heroes and Bevel's levels. The villains, victims, heroes chapter went into the psychological roles we can play in conflict (whether we take up the role, or it is placed upon us), and Bevels levels described a method for understanding the other side and still working with them to accomplish the common goal.
The writing is basic making this a quick read, but the author has a lot of good ideas and examples that need to be mulled over. Definitely a good read for anyone!
November 7, 2017
“Flooding,” as Medea (conflict management, Univ. of Chicago) terms adrenaline overload, “shorts out” our brains and leaves us “irrational, mule-headed, and quarrel-some.” Controlling flooding and its aftereffects is key to unraveling the titular conflicts. Specific kinds of situational conflict are discussed, and good tactical advice (e.g., “shorten your sentences” if you have to communicate while flooding) is provided in pithy and often funny examples of overload situations. Medea’s friendly, almost conspiratorial tone dovetails nicely with her direct writing. Though marred by occasionally indiscriminate advice (e.g., take a bat and literally smash glass bottles to relieve stress), this book is thorough and has a lot of heart. Along with titles that advise readers on structuring their lives, e.g., Bill Jensen’s The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More, this book will form the nucleus of a nice little self-help collection. Recommended.
Copyright Library Journal. Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal.
Copyright Library Journal. Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal.
October 18, 2016
This is a great book for all of us involved in conflict. Andra Medea begins her book with a discussion of flooding - the overload that needs to be addressed personally int eh face of conflict. Her analysis of the continuum of conflict is extremely helpful. Her suggestions for responding to conflict are fantastic and clearly stated, with good examples from real life.
This would be a great book to help one start int he face of serious conflict.
Such wisdom!
This would be a great book to help one start int he face of serious conflict.
Such wisdom!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews