Write a paper in which you identify a conflict that you or someone you know has had and has already been resolved. Identify and describe the five stages of a constructive conflict process. Then, apply each of the five stages of a constructive conflict process to your example. Your paper should clearly identify each stage and provide details or examples for each stage. 
1. Prelude to conflict2. The Triggering Event 3. The Initiation phase4. The Differentiation phase5. The resolution Phase
The prelude to conflict consists of the variables that make conflict possible between those involved. The prelude comprises four variables:
the participants in the conflict situation (number, age, sex, etc.)
the relationship between them (which may vary in closeness and distribution of power) and their conflict history
other interested parties to the conflict (including bystanders)
the physical and social environment of the conflict situation (a party in someone’s home, a meeting at work, dinner with family or friends)
In the prelude to conflict, the potential for manifest conflict exists because of the people involved and the other social and physical factors that define the situation. Like the first block in a line of dominoes, these variables affect the course of conflict.
The triggering event or conflict stimulus is a behavior that the parties in the conflict point to as the issue, problem, or focal point of the conflict. Examples include saying something upsetting, doing something offensive, or not doing something one is expected to do by others.
An important point to understand about triggering events is that the parties involved don’t always point to the same behavior as the trigger for the conflict. For example, you may have experienced some long‐term dissatisfaction with the way your roommate leaves his or her clothes and objects all over the house. For you the trigger of your conflict is the roommate’s messiness. You finally say something to the other person and, in doing so, trigger a conflict for her or him about the other’s perception of you as controlling. For that person, a conflict exists in which the trigger is your attempt to influence her or his behavior. While you both are experiencing one conflict situation, the behavior that each of you see as the trigger to it is sometimes different. In effect there are really two conflicts going on simultaneously each with its own trigger, one involving a roommate’s messiness and another dealing with your dominant behavior. Your discovering this would be a good example of meta‐conflict analysis. Having said that, we often engage in a single conflict where the parties can agree on the trigger. For example, a daughter is issued a ticket for texting while driving and her parents confront her about it. Both might agree in this case that she should not be texting while driving. So, sometimes the parties can agree that a particular event triggered the conflict.
The initiation phase or response occurs when the conflict becomes overt. This happens when at least one person makes known to the other that a conflict exists, such as reacting to another’s upsetting comment, pointing out the offensive nature of the other’s behavior, or reminding the other that she or he is expected to do something the person is not doing.
The differentiation phase or ongoing interaction pattern occurs when the participants use constructive or destructive strategies and tactics, presenting both sides of the story, moving back and forth, and escalating and de‐escalating the conflict. Lasting anywhere from a few minutes to days or even weeks, this is the stage where the conflict becomes quite obvious. Although parties may view the open disagreement as “the conflict,” from a communication point of view, the revelation of differences is the fourth stage in the interpersonal conflict process.
This phase serves a useful purpose by allowing both parties to explain how they see the situation that gives rise to conflict and what they want to happen as a result of the conflict. Sometimes, only one participant wants to address the conflict; the other person avoids confronting the issues. The relationship, the conflict history of the participants, and their preferred styles in doing conflict all act as ingredients that affect how the conflict proceeds.
The resolution phase or outcome occurs when those involved accept some outcome to the conflict. Ideally, a successful conflict results in a win–​win outcome, where the participants are both satisfied with the outcome and put the matter to rest. Less ideal, the participants may decide that the issue is settled for the time being while recognizing that it may arise again in the future. The worse case occurs when a dominant partner decides the matter for both partners and acts as though the matter is resolved when in fact the partner is dissatisfied with the result.