Question

Tom and his wife, Rebecca, are having a discussion about whether Tom can play poker with his brother and some friends Thursday night, or if he must watch the kids while Rebecca attends classes to receive her nursing certificate.

Read the dialogue below and select the part of their argument that represents the compromising conflict style.

Tom: "I'm going to be late for work. Can we talk about this some other time?"

Rebecca: "No, we need to settle this now. The babysitter canceled and my class is tonight. If I miss it, it will be really hard for me to make up the material."

Tom: "Don't worry about it; I'll skip poker and stay home so you can go to your class."

Rebecca: "What if I leave class a little bit early? That way you can hang out with your brother and your friends, even if you're late to the game.

Tom: "No, just go. I've got this."

• "No, we need to settle this now. The babysitter canceled and my class is tonight."

• "I'm going to be late for work. Can we talk about this some other time?"

• "Don't worry about it; I'll skip poker and stay home so you can go to your class."

• "What if I leave class a little bit early? That way you can hang out with your brother and your friends, even if you're late to the game."

Answer 1

The following part of the argument represents the compromising conflict style.

{Tom: "Don't worry about it; I'll skip poker and stay home so you can go to your class."

Rebecca: "What if I leave class a little bit early? That way you can hang out with your brother and your friends, even if you're late to the game.}

The compromising conflict style seeks to resolve problems by balancing the needs of both parties. Both parties reach an agreement in which their needs are partially met. If Rebecca leaves early from the class, Tom will be able to hang out with his brothers. This conflict management style will allow both Rebecca and Tom to get their things done without having to cancel any one of their plans. This conflict management style is called compromising.