Teen Health Course 3

Chapter 7: Conflict Resolution

Student Web Activities - Teacher Content

1. Siblings often feel they need to compete for parents' love, attention, and approval.



2. Talk about your feelings by explaining that you are an individual, you are different, you may have your own problem areas and strengths, and you don't like being compared to others. Communication is the key.



3. Steps you can take to handle short-term conflicts include:


• Take a breath and count to 10.


• Think about who you're really angry with. Are you really mad at the adults in your family and just taking it out on your brother or sister?


• Take a break from your brother or sister.


• Take some time for yourself. Listen to music, take a walk, hang with your pet, play video games, or write in your journal.



4. Long-term conflicts can be handled best if you remember:


• Winning isn't everything


• Learn to share


• Don't be needy or greedy


• Fair is better than equal


• Know when the line has been crossed



5. An example of a good rivalry includes: competition in sports, can encourage you to accomplish something else like the lead in the school play, and cooperation to help win the game.

Below are some additional resources for teens on getting along with their families and handling conflict at home. You might want to try role-playing, or having students write their own short skits and act them out. Having other students critique the listening skills of their peers might provide some valuable feedback as well.

1. Whole Family:
   http://www.wholefamily.com/aboutteensnow/feelings/anger/teen_violence/expert_comments.html
2. Conflict Resolution Game:
   http://www.crnhq.org/crgame.html
3. Health Gate:
   http://healthgate.partners.org/browsing/browseContent.asp?fileName=14689.xml&title=Resolving%20Conflicts%20at%20Work%20and%20at%20Home
4. U.S. Dept of Justice:
   http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/fs-9755.pdf

1. A conflict is not a conflict when you stop it before it gets started.



2. The five ways to stop your anger from exploding are:

a. Taking deep breaths and concentrate on relaxing your body as you breathe.
b. Counting to 10 slowly.
c. Thinking before you react. Ask yourself what the consequences of your actions would be?
d. Keeping your voice low and slow.
e. Removing yourself from the situation.


3. A person's conflict style is how he or she responds or deals with problems. For example, some people avoid conflict, others pretend the problem does not exist, and still others confront problems directly.



4. A person should get outside help with a conflict when the problem is serious, when you are not talking, when you do not trust the other person involved in the coflict, or when it looks like the problem might turn into a fight.



5. The letters in "anger" stand for:

a. Avoid
b. Never
c. Get away
d. Evaluate
e. Responsibility

You can deal effectively with anger by remembering to avoid people and situations that make you angry, never using your body to hurt someone, getting away from tenses situations, evaluating your choices, and realizing you are responsible for your choices.

Below are some additional resources on conflict prevention, management, and resolution, including some good sites on anger. Try giving student hypothetical situations that involve anger and see how they would attempt to resolve them.

1. Safe Youth:
   http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/teens/anger.asp
2. Teens Health:
   http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/question/emotions/deal_with_anger.html
3. National Youth Violence Prevention:
   http://www.herkimercounty.org/dept/yb/CONFLICT%20RESOLUTION.PDF
4. Teen Health:
   http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=243&np=291&id=2183