Sharing Experience on the Conflict Analysis and Resolution - Essay Example

Reflective Essay My experiences in the Conflict Analysis and Resolution (CAR) program have been varied and this reflective essay aims to explore my academic experience here at Mason. Prior to applying to the CAR program, I was aware that the field of CAR is relatively new and still evolving: there is no lock-step career path as with more traditional professional fields such as law and medicine. I also was aware of the fact that CAR is not so much a traditional professional degree leading to a particular career, as it is a cutting edge program that turbo-charges students’ underlying strengths, thereby enhancing career opportunities and professional advancement. I hoped that the program would provide me with a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of conflict analysis and resolution, introduce me to faculty and the work they are doing in this field, and help me to develop a framework for diagnosing and responding to conflicts within my personal area of interest. I also hoped to be engaged with program participants from a wide range of fields, such as education, business, human resource management, child and family development, social work, community development, mediation, criminal justice, communication, social work, ministry, and public service. I wanted to study family, neighborhood, and divorce cases, hoping to receive some understanding of how to approach these conflicts. I am going to graduate this December with a Bachelors of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. If I could start my educational career at Mason again, I believe that I would choose CAR only as a minor, to supplement my skills in other disciplines. While I have learnt a lot from experiences here, the overriding focus on international conflict has been a detriment to me. Yes, I have been developing strong analytical and practical skills in order to better understand and respond to conflict dynamics, but it mostly applies to international conflicts, with a little attention to community, and almost no attention to interpersonal conflicts. Simply put, it is not exactly what I expected. I had no idea that I would take the majority of classes to study International Conflict, with a few credits left for community conflict, and almost nothing for interpersonal conflict. I am aware and have no problem with the fact that the majority of ICAR students have concentrations in interpersonal conflict. From different conflict classes I have learnt that conflicts are an inevitable part of people’s lives, a natural part of diversity and in the world of human relationships, and that it is so important to train our minds to deal with conflicts effectively rather than trying to hide from them. In my conflict classes I have learned how to map conflicts, analyze and find ways to resolve them. I also learned why some groups of people resort violence as a means for settling disputes and others do not; why some groups unified in their hostility rather than unified in their peaceful relations with neighbors. What was most important for me, for interpersonal conflict concentration, is to learn that conflicts involve problems and that personal emotions are attached to these problems. In order to deal with conflict successfully, feelings and emotions must be stabilized before the problem can be handled. I have learned the importance of having non-judgmental attitudes and a neutral stance the ability to identify and understand clients’ values and beliefs, and the ability to work cooperatively with others. I have learnt that without understanding the basic theoretical principles of practice, a practitioner is only a skilled mechanic trying out one tool after another without understanding which tool will be suitable to the task. A theory provides both a basis for work and a way to understand the nature of the process a practitioner tries to manage. In order to apply that knowledge successfully for each individual client or a situation, specific practice models and tools are necessary to assist the expert. In conflict classes I studied different models that help a practitioner apply the two key steps such as effectively identifying a conflict, and taking an action to deal with the conflict based on the conclusion. Without the skills to apply appropriate models and tools effectively, there is a little chance a practitioner will help the client. The best theories and concepts are the ones that allow a reflective practitioner to understand and manage a conflict. I learnt how to do research in the field and I also learned that theories in conflict resolution are strongly connected with research, with testing of hypotheses or principles to see if they are true. Great research can develop the analysis and practice in the conflict resolution field. In addition, I have learnt that it is not enough to learn skills solely from a book – they have to be practiced and critiqued. It is through this process of testing, trying and getting feedback on the success and value of our diagnostic models and tools that reflective practice is achieved. Moreover, I have learnt that not only theory, research, and practice relate to each other and to the idea of being a reflective practitioner, but ethics are as well. A good job of a reflective practitioner involves fairness and equal consideration of each partys issues. A reflective practitioner needs to get an agreement from all parties not to interrupt each other and present facts honestly. He also needs to ask parties to be respectful and trustful because a lack of trust is a first step in failing the process. In addition to the above, during my academic career at Mason I explored the complex interrelations of social identity and postmodern conflicts in society with an emphasis on the role of identity in processes of conflict resolution and transformation, gaining understanding that identity conflicts are the most difficult to resolve. I was engaged in many role plays in which I mastered my skills as a conflicting party or a third party intervener. I also learnt how to organize and conduct interviews with practitioners in the field and how to do qualitative research. I also explored the diverse range of theories of social/political conflict found across the social science disciplines and techniques and tools used by practitioners in the field to manage conflicts across different settings and contexts. In addition, I learned how theories about the nature of social conflicts result in people’s making particular choices about which conflict resolution activities make sense under which conditions. I learned about possible factors for conflicts, conflict management strategies, and options for conflict resolutions. What I most liked about the CAR program is the required 3 credits internship (I am actually completing more hours than I need to get more practical skills in the field). As a student who is only a few weeks away from completing it, I can tell that it is a fantastic idea to practice what is learned in classes and improve conflict resolution skills and abilities learned in classes. During last summer I was doing an internship in a shelter for women and families who have suffered from domestic violence, learning how to provide counseling, support, and court advocacy to women and children in needs. I applied my conflict resolution and listening skills, developed my critical thinking and analysis participating in shelter performance management efforts, providing extensive safety planning and associated emotional support for victims and their children. This fall I have been doing internship with a transitional house for females ex-offenders, developing strong intervention and support skills in helping the residents to improve and change their lives, and break a cycle of incarceration. During my internships I have learned how to identify, document, and solve problems in real life situations, approaching them by myself or getting help from staff. I have learnt how to be empathic with others and how to be able to understand other people’s feelings, how not be easily shocked or offended, be a positive advocate, and how to be confident in using own initiative and be motivated. I have being studying conflict analysis and resolutions because I want to be a reflective practitioner in the field of conflict analysis and resolution. I am determined to be a professional who regularly manages conflicts as part of her life, providing services and treatment directly to the clients. At Mason I studied how to become a reflective practitioner, somebody who knows how to do things and be automatically reflective. I learnt that to be a reflective practitioner I need to know how to think back on what happened, ask questions such as “Why?” “How?”, “Where?”,”What?” and apply all my knowledge in the field to find solutions to problems. I also learned the importance of combining theory, research, practice, and ethics in the work; and I learned about the importance of constant learning, evaluating, and refining practice, even after years of experience. My internship and classroom experience have not only been helpful in better understanding what I want to do after graduation but have been useful in my daily life outside of the internship setting. Ideally I want to work as a reflective practitioner in the interpersonal field of Conflict Analysis & Resolutions, making a difference in peoples’ lives. However, I am aware that no matter what kind of work I will be doing after graduation, from time to time in my life I will face conflict and will need to know how to approach and resolve such conflicts. That is why am pleases to have participated in the CAR program and conducting my internships in the field of conflict resolution and management. Read More