Conflict Case

Conflict

Your Name

Argosy University, Seattle, WA

Conflict

Introduction

What is conflict? Conflict can be defined as, “the interaction of interdependent people who observe opposition of goals, aims, and values and who see the other party as potentially interfering with the realization of these goals.” (Putnam and Poole, as cited by Bhat, Rangnekar, and Barua, 2013, pg. 16) The purpose of this paper is to identify the conflict, set a goal to resolve the conflict, and provide potential solutions to obtain the goal and resolve the conflict in a scene from Good Will Hunting titled Self Protection that was posted on YouTube.

What the Conflict Is

In the scene, Jerry who is a math genius and Sean who is a therapist, are arguing over the best way to help Will who is also a math genius but has not gone to college and still hangs out with his high school buddies. When I first watched this scene, I thought the conflict between Sean and Jerry was because Sean feels like Jerry is pushing Will too hard and is afraid he will pull away and not rise to his full potential as a math genius; however, the conflict between Sean and Jerry dates back to when they were younger. Jerry believes Sean is smarter than him and that he is envious of his success. Jerry also believes Sean is a failure and treats him in that manner which makes Sean feel like a failure even though Sean has stated he is happy with his life and the decisions he has made.

Types of Conflict

According to Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders (2007), there are four types of conflict: intrapersonal conflict, interpersonal conflict, intragroup conflict, and intergroup conflict. (pg. 17) Intrapersonal conflict is conflict that occurs within oneself while interpersonal conflict occurs between two or more people such as siblings, coworkers, or neighbors. Intragroup conflict is conflict with a group or team and intergroup conflict is between organizations, ethnic groups, or nations. Based on the definitions of the different types of conflict stated above, Sean and Jerry have the interpersonal type of conflict.

Goal in Resolving the Conflict

It is important for Sean and Jerry to resolve their conflict in order to provide the best guidance possible for Will. If they continue to argue, Will will continue to live his life hanging out with his high school buddies and won’t be able to reach his full potential. As stated in the scene, if Will feels threatened or like he is being pushed too hard, he will pull away from Sean and Jerry.

Causes,