Communication Concept Paper For Nursing

Running head: CONCEPT PAPER 2

Concept Paper 2

B231/Communication Skills in Nursing

3rd Semester/2007

According to Valentine, (as described in Arnold & Boggs 2007, pg.319), "CONFLICT has been defined as tension arising from incompatible needs, in which the actions of one frustrate the ability of the other to achieve a goal (1995)." My cousin Jason found his wife's sister really annoying. Sara, his wife, was very close to her sister. They talked several times a week on the phone, and she came over almost every Sunday afternoon. Sara knew that Jason was annoyed by her sister, but could never figure out why. Jason became irritable whenever she came over and always left the room. Sara and he would often have a fight Sunday evenings after her sister had left. One Sunday, Sara's sister stayed for dinner, and Jason was clearly upset. He kept his emotions to himself until she went home, but then he yelled at Sara. "Why does your sister always have to come over and wreck our Sundays? It's the one day that we have together and she ruins it for me!" After they talked about it some more, it came out that what really bothered Jason most about Sara's sister was her timing. Sunday was the one day he really counted on to relax, and he felt he had to be a host when Sara's sister was over. He wanted to sit in his lounge chair and listen to his CDs without worrying about a guest. Sara let her sister know that Sunday afternoons would not work on a regular basis. Sara's sister changed her weekly visit to Wednesday nights, and she only came over Sunday afternoons when she was explicitly invited. Jason appreciated the privacy he needed on the weekends.

"Conflicts in any relationship are inevitable: they serve as warning that something in the relationship needs closer attention (Arnold & Boggs, 2007, pg. 319)." After my cousin and his wife talked about it some more, it came out that what really bothered Jason most about Sara's sister was her timing. Many times, resolving a particular conflict can improve your relationship with whomever the conflict concerns. It might be that only one behavior is annoying, but many things bother you because of that one thing.

Nurses must be flexible in today's rapidly changing health care environment. Constant changes and conflicts that arise within the clinical setting force nurses to adjust to changing circumstances. We, as nursing students, can begin to develop the ability to address situational problems by understanding more about human behavior and strategies of conflict management.

"Empathy is the ability to be sensitive to and communicate understanding of the client's feelings" (Arnold & Boggs, 2007 pg 121)A friend of mine started complaining that he is severely tempted to go on experimenting sexually with women other than his wife. He told me, "Although I have not had an affair, I have had a few "sexual encounters" and feel that some day I will pursue a longer relationship. I don't blame myself or her. It's just that my feelings are so strong that she cannot satisfy me. I want more affectionÐ'--really, more lustÐ'--than she can possibly give. I fear that no one woman will do so. I'm not sure what to think. I don't know whether I'm just being selfish or whether