Interpersonal Conflict Theory Paper
Discussion
The focus of this study was to analyze the Latino parent-adolescent coming out process using social and interpersonal conflict theory. Generally, both the adolescent and parent’s behavior can be explained using conflict principles. For example, Pruitt and Kim (2004) define the term conflict, as a “perceived divergence of interest,” a conviction that the parties’ aspirations are conflicting. This case study involves a Latina adolescent coming out as bisexual to her traditional mother. Their conflict involves distinctive ways in which they engaged in the conflict in an attempt to resolve it.
Reviewed literature, other than Pruitt and Kim (2004), was not based in conflict principles. Nonetheless, they provided rich detail about …show more content…
It further supported their study that a parents sometimes use their beliefs in relationally insensitive ways. The parent in this study revealed that she used guilt and sin as one of her power dynamics. At the same time, Saltzbur’s (2004) suggestion that she felt morally responsible (2013) for her daughter’s sexuality since she had not been taking her to church consistently. This study reinforced Saltzburg's (2004) suggestion that parents perceive that their identity has changed as greatly as their child's identity. The parent in this study isolated herself since she now partially identified as a parent of a bisexual daughter. Merighi and Grimes’s (2000) research was affirmed by this study in that the mother limited participation in social activities within her Salvadoran community to protect herself from stigmatization and humiliation. This study acknowledged Seltzer and Ryff (1994) assessment that parents, such as this study’s mother, may view their child’s “failure” as their own. No longer feeling as though her daughter is the same as she was before coming out, mother’s disgust at her daughter’s bisexuality weakened her former positive feelings toward her. Van Doorn, Branje, and Meeus (2001) were spot on regarding their assessment of doomed aspirations. Mother had …show more content…
In this study, the mother used a basic conflict strategy known as contending (2004), which means asserting her authority to insist upon her desired wishes on her daughter. The adolescent used another basic conflict strategy called yielding (2004), which is reducing her desires and compromising what she wanted. Avoiding (2004) was another strategy the adolescent used–not engaging in the conflict by withdrawing.
Further escalating the conflict was mother’s self-concept that was misaligned from her daughter’s. Mother’s ingroup is her Salvadoran family, her church, and her heterosexual identity. Daughter’s bisexuality has made her part of an outgroup since she sees her daughter as part of the LGBT community, a group mother
The focus of this study was to analyze the Latino parent-adolescent coming out process using social and interpersonal conflict theory. Generally, both the adolescent and parent’s behavior can be explained using conflict principles. For example, Pruitt and Kim (2004) define the term conflict, as a “perceived divergence of interest,” a conviction that the parties’ aspirations are conflicting. This case study involves a Latina adolescent coming out as bisexual to her traditional mother. Their conflict involves distinctive ways in which they engaged in the conflict in an attempt to resolve it.
Reviewed literature, other than Pruitt and Kim (2004), was not based in conflict principles. Nonetheless, they provided rich detail about …show more content…
It further supported their study that a parents sometimes use their beliefs in relationally insensitive ways. The parent in this study revealed that she used guilt and sin as one of her power dynamics. At the same time, Saltzbur’s (2004) suggestion that she felt morally responsible (2013) for her daughter’s sexuality since she had not been taking her to church consistently. This study reinforced Saltzburg's (2004) suggestion that parents perceive that their identity has changed as greatly as their child's identity. The parent in this study isolated herself since she now partially identified as a parent of a bisexual daughter. Merighi and Grimes’s (2000) research was affirmed by this study in that the mother limited participation in social activities within her Salvadoran community to protect herself from stigmatization and humiliation. This study acknowledged Seltzer and Ryff (1994) assessment that parents, such as this study’s mother, may view their child’s “failure” as their own. No longer feeling as though her daughter is the same as she was before coming out, mother’s disgust at her daughter’s bisexuality weakened her former positive feelings toward her. Van Doorn, Branje, and Meeus (2001) were spot on regarding their assessment of doomed aspirations. Mother had …show more content…
In this study, the mother used a basic conflict strategy known as contending (2004), which means asserting her authority to insist upon her desired wishes on her daughter. The adolescent used another basic conflict strategy called yielding (2004), which is reducing her desires and compromising what she wanted. Avoiding (2004) was another strategy the adolescent used–not engaging in the conflict by withdrawing.
Further escalating the conflict was mother’s self-concept that was misaligned from her daughter’s. Mother’s ingroup is her Salvadoran family, her church, and her heterosexual identity. Daughter’s bisexuality has made her part of an outgroup since she sees her daughter as part of the LGBT community, a group mother