What happened when Anna decided to do nothing?
In this example Anna decided not to engage with Jessie about the conflict. It is likely that Jessie will never know there was a conflict or how Anna has been feeling. This might be a good thing, as it might maintain a good relationship between them, but it might be a bad thing if Jessie doesn’t get the opportunity to review her behaviour and possibly change or improve.
In this example Anna considered that:
- The issue was trivial (her friends didn’t think it was a big deal)
- There is only a short time to the end of semester and she won’t have to deal with Jessie again after that so she could just wait it out
Even if you decide not to directly engage with the person you are in conflict with, there may still be options available to you to manage the situation differently.
In this example Anna ended up:
- Talking to her friends to get a different perspective on the situation
- Trying (through trial and error) different techniques to manage the conflict herself
Choosing to avoid the conflict in this situation may have worked out well for Anna. However, situations at university can be good learning opportunities to practice and develop skills that will assist you in the future, for example with colleagues in your workplace, with your friends or family.