Reflective Essay: Working with Conflict, Diversity, Attitude, Behavior

This essay provides a reflective analysis of conflict, diversity, attitude, and behavior, drawing upon personal experiences and established frameworks such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Johari Window, Transactional Analysis (TA), and DISC model. It explores how these tools can enhance self-awareness, improve communication, and facilitate more effective conflict resolution. The author discusses how these models have influenced their understanding of personal character, behavior, and the importance of managing attitudes in various situations, particularly in professional settings, emphasizing the ongoing process of self-improvement and responsible behavior in conflict management. The essay highlights the practical application of these concepts in navigating real-life scenarios and promoting positive interactions.

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Working with Conflict and Diversity
Name
Institution
Attitude refers to one’s feelings towards something. It may be positive or negative feelings. On
the other hand behaviour means the manner in which people contact themselves while with other
people or the surrounding environment while conflict may refer to disagreement or struggle
between two people over their differing views (Clayton, 2012, n.p).Almost everyone has once
been in a conflict, for it comes from many areas like differing goals, personality, scarce
resources, values and styles of thinking. Mostly leaders of groups and organisations find
themselves in inevitable conflicts and they have to look for possible solution. Some people find it
a challenge to deal with conflicts peacefully and might end up expressing negative attitudes and
behaviours. However, people deal with conflicts differently. Dealing with a conflict depends
with its nature, and the people who are surrounding you or rather the environment. Conflict
between friends ca be solved easily, since there is a feeling of love that unites the friends.
However, conflict between unknown people may be difficult to solve, since there is a gap, which
is in between the two strangers. However, when a person has a way of solving problems, it
becomes easy to deal with issues, since they have self ways of dealing with issues. Some apply
the Johari windows, while others apply the MBTI method. Others would prefer using the TA
while others would prefer using the DISC method. All these methods apply differently and
everybody applies each according to the nature of the conflict. Self governed people are always
responsible, and therefore manage conflict instead of taking it at hand.

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Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) determines a person’s psychological makeup and how they
perceive and make decision. For example, women perceive that mechanical and electrical works
are made for men. It has four personality description used to examine a person. (Djelic, 2010
n.p). One can either be introverted or extroverted, sensing or intuitive, thinking or feeling and
judging or perceptive. Depending with the matter at hand, different responses are applied. The
MBTI is a tool in form of a questionnaire, which was constructed many years ago, and contains
questions which the individual answers day after day. When a change occurs, that is in terms of
personality, the individual records in the appropriate gap (Jenkins, 2017 NP). The MBTI pushes
one to change behaviour, since no one would like to record a negative issue in terms of behaviour in
their questionnaire. It therefore adds effort and pushes the victim to work towards the positive. In
other words, MBTI can be described as a tool that pushes individuals towards the positive direction
in life thus giving them a new test and perception of things in life.
According to Johari window, there are four window panes namely; open area, blind area, hidden
area and unknown area, which work under two factors, that is, what one knows about themselves
and what other people know about them. It is useful tool used for understanding and training
personal awareness and development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships,
group dynamics, intergroup relationships and team development The Johari window is a tool that
helps people determines their character, in terms of personality. For instance, it involves victims
writing the adjectives which describe themselves, and then asking their close friends to write the
adjectives which describe them too (Schneider, &Wiesehomeier, 2010, pg 1115.). By doing so, the
adjectives are evaluated by the people who know the character of the individuals in test and the
results are given. The possibly and effectiveness of johari tool is brought about by the results which

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declare that the adjectives given by the individuals ad those written by the victim leads to a similar
personality (Djelic, M.L., 2010 NP). People say that this method is tricky, but character is the end
result of habit. To some, the adjectives written by the close friends are just opinions, and can change
if asked to repeat. However, they remain constant all the time, only if the same character is being
described by the same people.
TA aims at giving individuals freedom from restrictive old-fashioned patterns of behaviour, free
exchange of strokes without manipulation and spontaneity. TA model states that a person has
ego-states of their personality and they have to converse with one another. The ego state has
behavioural, social, historical and phenomenological aspects. The manner in which one reacts to
a matter ,that is, the posture, tone, gestures and facial expressions used help to tell to which ego
state that one is in. Through this model one can sense that an individual is either in good moods
or bad moods from the way they respond to issues. One has to be a good listener and at the same
time a good observer to be able to identify and notice any change in the way of responding. The
Transactional Analysis Is a Tool used by individuals to determine personality is the therapeutic
approach which was developed by Eric Barnes in early 1950’s and has helped many people to
determine who they are (Meiran,, Diamond, Toder, &Nemets, 2011, pg 153). It helps people like
patients understand of the psychological factors that may affect patient communication, an appreciation
for the diversity created by different personality types, the ability to engage patients based on adult-to-
adult interaction cues, and the ability to adapt the interactive patient counseling model to different
personality traits.
The DISC model provides common language that individuals can use to understand oneself and
adapt their behaviors with others. It helps one in various ways like increasing yourself
knowledge on how to respond to conflicts either motivating you or causing stress, improving

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working relationship, facilitate better team work and guide on productive conflict Disc refers to
their characters which include dominance, influence, steadiness and conscientiousness. According to
William Marston, each person has one or two characters, which are found in each letter (Folger, Poole,
&Stutman, 2017, N.P). They help in determining the character of a person, and the character lacks in
one of the initials, then it will probably be found in the next initial. This theory puts character into a
boundary meaning that human personality cannot exceed the border.
All there communication tools have helped me in developing my attitude, character and behavior
(Jenkins, 2017). I have come to understand that there is a certain border that one cannot exceed in
terms of character, when applying the disc theory. According to Johari window, friends can determine
my character by writing down the adjectives which describe my personality. I must also write down
what I think about by self in terms of adjectives, and that helps determine who I am. The TA and the
MBTI have also contributed much in this section. All these tools have helped me understand who I am,
and how I can be able to change my personality (Brown, 2011 PG 200). The MBTI has helped me to
keep in the right track, by avoiding mistakes which can be easily committed in life. For instance, when
anger is about to rise, I quickly rush in and fill my questionnaire, and make sure I fill it positively. This
helps me manage my anger and have become respectful person.
For instance I was busy attending to customers in an office when a client I had attended before
came down to the table. The client complained to me that I had issued the wrong receipt to her.
However, I had carefully located her in her right position according to attendance. She also said
that a fellow customer had arrived after her and had a recent number. I understood that the client
did not want to queue up and wait (Cuppen, 2012 PG 35). I therefore thought of ignoring her at
first, but remembered that she would still insist for justice. I was too busy to handle the case. So,
instead of being patient, she informed the manager about the issue, which made my anger rise.

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Delaying to assist her did not mean full denial. I was waiting for the opportunity since I was
committed. When the manager came in, he solved the issue. My anger came down but the rest of
the clients thought that I was irresponsible. The client too had to wait for her time regardless her
complain. (Cuppen, 2012 PG 35
The MBTI and the TA are the two tools which have helped me most in my areas of concern. Every time I
feel like doing wrong, I remember filling my MBTI (Gherini, 2015 NP). Since I cannot bear with
negativity, I work towards the positive. I can therefore manage my anger. And have become a
responsible person ever since. These tools have challenged me since my character can be indentified
through my habits. I am a human being, surrounded by evils and goods. It is therefore my choice to
choose where to belong, and that is how people will know me, and definitely defines me.
Almost everyone has once been in a conflict, for it comes from many areas like differing goals,
personality, scarce resources, values and styles of thinking. Mostly leaders of groups and
organisations find themselves in inevitable conflicts and they have to lookfor possible solution.
Some people find it a challenge to deal with conflicts peacefully and might end up expressing
negative attitudes and behaviours.

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Reference
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