GARGH@^!

I had to do at least 7 of these. And then summarize.

reading summary	reading reaction
Pruitt and Kim describe the various ways in which a person/group acts to instigate a preferred result from another person/group. They do so through ingratiation, promises, persuasive argumentation, shaming, tit-for-tat, threats, coercive commitments, and violence. Pruitt and Kim also examine non-violence as a resistance to contentious tactics. Any, excepting violence, are not necessarily immoral or structurally violent in themselves – rather, it is the desired consequence that can cause harm. Usually, these various tactics are used in an escalatory manner, progressing until the desired response is elicited.	My friend recently took a test on consumer behavior that discussed “positive reinforcement” “negative reinforcement” of “desired responses.” These terms were also handy to categorize the way in with contentious tactics are used. Funny how contentious tactics are also very effective methods for creating unspoken rules and taboos in society.
conflict summary	conflict reaction
I once babysat an extremely precocious 3 year old named Dan while his mother worked as an ESL instructor in their home. This meant I would be watching and caring for Dan while his mother worked with a student in an adjacent room. As a toddler, Dan understood the power structure and difference between his mother and me – the lowly babysitter. He liked to push the boundaries of that difference. One day, Dan had exceeded his parentally-allotted time on the computer. I told him his time was up, but he ignored me and continued playing on the computer. I then suggested to him that we take up another activity, such as riding bikes outside, or making drawings, but Dan continued to ignore me. I again told him time was up, but this time he began yelling at me that I wasn’t his mother, in an attempt to attract the attention of the real boss. The mother came in, and explained to Dan that I was to be obeyed and that the rules did not cease to exist when his mother was gone. When Dan refused to listen to his mother, she then threatened him with a timeout. He called her bluff.	I hate to bargain with children because I feel that it teaches them that people will give them whatever they want if they do what is asked of them. Instead, I argued with Dan persuasively and suggested alternatives. It wasn’t until his mother threatened and then punished him that he realized that not only could I threaten also to punish him later, but, that if I was unwilling to follow through on the threat, his mother would. I have never had to threaten Dan, although it still takes some persuading to get him off the computer.