Question

MaKayla is spending the summer with her father, to develop a stronger relationship with him since she doesn't get to see him often. Over the last month, her father has cancelled several of their planned activities for work. When MaKayla addresses this with her father, he becomes defensive and tells her that work is just very hectic right now. MaKayla says "That's ok, don't worry about it, it is no big deal", even though it really upsets her. Which conflict management style is MaKayla displaying?

Answer 1

MaKayla is employing avoidance as her conflict management style by not confronting her father about her true feelings and instead downplaying the issue to keep the peace.

Step-by-step explanation:

MaKayla is spending the summer with her father but has been disappointed by him cancelling several of their planned activities. When she expresses her feelings, her father becomes defensive, and MaKayla backs down by stating "That's ok, don't worry about it, it is no big deal," despite feeling upset. In this scenario, MaKayla is demonstrating the conflict management style of avoidance.

Avoidance is a conflict management style where an individual decides not to engage or confront the issue directly. By minimizing the problem and not expressing her genuine feelings, MaKayla is attempting to keep the peace at the expense of addressing her own needs. This is a passive approach that may lead to unresolved feelings and may not contribute to a healthy resolution of the conflict.