The concept that really stood out to me from Chapter 12 was
overblown conflict. Overblown conflict
is defined as "when one exaggerates a conflict concerning a relatively
unimportant issue. The parties seem to invest far more emotion and energy than
the situation deserves" (p. 215).
This is something that occurs a lot in my life, whether from friends and
family or myself. I know many people
that live stressful lives and tend to explode about issues that really don't
deserve much time or thought. I was happy to see that this was actually a
concept because I view it often. I can't
tell the class how many times that I hear someone complaining or snapping
because of something that I consider very stupid and unimportant. Reading the example in the chapter makes it
more clear as to why these types of conflicts occur. It mostly has to do with
bad timing. This bad timing can cause
one side of the parties involved to receive and unwarranted response. The author states that overblown conflicts
are usually settled when the person who does the ranting apologizes and makes
up an excuse to explain his/her behavior.
This is usually the same in the overblown conflicts that I participate
in or view.
