Hi, I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to Conflict Resolution-- Putting the Pieces Together. Today, we're going to talk about culture, gender, and identity. So really defining our sense of self and how that's created through our identification with various groups.
We're going to start off by discussing identity first. When we are talking about identity, we mean that every person or everyone has a sense of their personal identity or their sense of self. And this sense of self that we all have is key in our perspectives, attitudes, evaluations, and how we behave.
Our identity is constructed by a number of different factors. And some of these could include through personal experience. So maybe we had an event happen to us that really shapes who we are as an individual. Or even gender could be included and beliefs about gender. So how our gender for a male or female, how that affects our sense of self.
And also group membership. So the groups in which we are a part of, they have an impact and help shape our identity. And also, our culture has an impact on our identity. And roles that are specifically derived from our specific culture. So maybe how we fit in in the workplace or within our family and how our specific roles in those places are coming from our culture and shaping our sense of self, as well as our relationships and input from others.
This is just a list of a few of the factors that are involved in constructing identity. There are a number of others out there. So maybe you can think of some to add to this list as well.
So now that we know that our identity is the way an individual defines him or herself, we also need to note that identity factors into conflict styles, so how we behave or how we choose to interact in conflict.
So for example, maybe an individual comes from a cultural group that identifies or has a high or low context communication style. So if they have a high context communication, they are more subtle and indirect in their communication. And people are supposed to or expected to interpret what they are trying to say. Whereas a person with low context communication is used to a more to the point and direct communication style. And so if we're in conflict with one another, we may not be able to understand what either is saying because we are having these different communication styles.
Maybe also part of our identity is leaning towards individualism or collectivism. And so if we are in a conflict or want to go through a conflict resolution process, if we come from a individualistic standpoint where our interests and needs are more important, we may not be as willing as, let's say, a collectivist identity where we are used to having the group be more important. We may not want to initiate a conflict resolution process if we're individualistic. Whereas a collectivist maybe more open to such a process because they're used to that group mentality and collaboration.
Or maybe our identity is part of fatalism and non-fatalism perhaps. So if we're a fatalist and we believe that things happen outside of our control and it really relies on fate and destiny. Or, on the other side, a non-fatalist might believe as part of their identity that everything happens because we make it happen. It's the individual that is in control and responsible for their destiny.
And so maybe we would view conflict as a fatalist-- it's happening for a reason so we need to just let it happen and go with the flow. Whereas in a non-fatalist identity perhaps we would think that if we had done something different or if they had done something different, we wouldn't be in the situation or conflict.
When we have perceived or even real threats to our identity, conflict can arise because we are interpreting these threats as potential losses or even impediments on having our specific needs met. So let's say we're a part of a group. And in that group our role is the chairperson. We're in charge of the running and the workings of our-- we may also have a little prestige or status within our role. And that becomes a part of our identity, and who we are is this chairperson of our group.
Well, a new member has joined our group and seems very interested in our specific role as chairperson. And this person seems to have a lot of experience. And the group initially really likes them and is interested in them.
And so we may feel threatened that our role as the chairperson could be maybe taken away from this new member or be in jeopardy. And so we may have conflicts with this new member because we think that they are going to impede on our role and our identity that is formed from this role.
Another example could be in the workplace. So let's say there's a woman manager in our workplace. And this doesn't necessarily sit well with us or another person within our workplace because we have specific beliefs about gender and how women in our culture don't hold management positions.
And so we have a hard time maybe displaying the same respect that we would give to a man in a similar role or taking this person seriously as a manager just because or based upon their gender. And this could cause problems and conflicts with that manager in other areas of our workplace.
Let's look at our key points on culture, gender, and identity before we go. Identity is derived from a number of factors. So our sense of self can come from a number of different factors. Some of them could be personal experience, gender, membership, culturally derived roles and relationships.
And our identity may have an influence on our conflict style. So we looked at high and low context communication, fatalism and non-fatalism, as well as individualism and collectivism.
And when we feel threatened about our identity, we can create conflict. So our examples included in the workplace and as well as in a group membership where we felt our position or role as chairperson was threatened.
Here is your one key term-- identity. Feel free to pause and look at this a little closer.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to view this tutorial. I hope you've learned something. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.