Conflict Management: A Case Analysis from “The Best of Enemies”
Scene Summary
The Best of Enemies is a true story film, where Ann Atwater, a Black civil rights activist, and C.P. Ellis, a Ku Klux Klan leader, unwillingly co-chair a charrette held in Durham in 1971 to discuss school integration. The scene of focus for this case is at the start of the charrette process. Here, the charrette organizer asks the Black and White communities to choose their representatives. The organizer then nominates Atwater for the Black community, and when he nominates C.P. Ellis for the White community, emotions of incompatibility arise between the two groups: Conflict Management: A Case Analysis from “The Best of Enemies”.
Case Questions
The task of identifying personality traits was not challenging because Atwater’s and C.P. Ellis’s personality characteristics are expressed clearly. Their reaction to being elected as co-chairpersons revealed their behavioral characteristics, making it easy to identify their personality aspects.
Similarly, differentiating between various aspects was a noncomplex task. For instance, when examining the locus of control—the extent to which an individual believes they are the master of what happens to them (Corvette, 2014), Atwater demonstrates an internal locus of control. She shows she is in control and that her engagement can bring in change. On the other hand, C.P. Ellis shows an external locus of control at this point. He blames the Black community for the presenting school situation and argues that integrating Black students into White schools will degrade the quality of education that white children receive.
Additionally, Ann demonstrates a high level of self-monitoring, the need for achievement and affiliation, and moderate agreeableness. Agreeableness is characterized by empathy, altruism, and cooperation (Kallianou, 2024). Atwater’s agreeableness is seen through her cooperation and respect for others’ opinions, even when they conflict with her view. In contrast, Ellis’s agreeableness is low as he appears defensive and uncooperative.
His level of self-monitoring seems moderate, as he reacts on a personal level rather than from a group level. Also, his need for achievement at this point seems moderate, and his need for power is high, as he wants the White community to remain in control. Nonetheless, both characters portray high conscientiousness—one’s degree of orderliness, achievement orientation, and dutifulness (Bono et al., 2009).
Reflecting on these attributes, my personality traits resonate most with Ann’s conscientiousness, level of self-monitoring, and the need for achievement and affiliation. Ellis’s personality at this point highly contrasts with mine.
Conclusion
In summary, this case is relevant in understanding conflict management. It deepened my understanding of the key personality concepts and how these are revealed in real life. The two characters and their opposing personalities illustrate the importance of understanding personality attributes, as these affect negotiation.
In addition, by examining personalities and emotional tendencies between the two characters, I can now better anticipate how individuals with different personalities would respond in conflict; this would help me adopt the appropriate negotiation approach. The case also allowed me to reflect on my personality aspects, which is significant in becoming an effective conflict manager.
References
Bissell, R. (Director). (2019, April 5). The best of enemies. STX Entertainment.
Bono, J. E., Boles, T. L., Judge, T. A., & Lauver, K. J. (2009). The role of personality in task and relationship conflict. Journal of Personality, 70(3), 311–344. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-6494.05007
Corvette, B. A. B. (2014). Conflict management: A practical guide to developing negotiation strategies (1st ed.). Pearson.
Kallianou, M. N. (2024). Agreeableness and conflict management in daily life: The impact of prosocial traits on psychological adaptation. Studies in Psychological Science, 2(3). https://www.pioneerpublisher.com/SPS/article/view/1014
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Question 
Course textbook:
Chapter Assignments instruction:
You will be asked to complete assignments to demonstrate your understanding of the course content.
These do not need to be current, but they cannot be blogs or popular news sites. Each chapter assignment is worth 10 points, and grading rubrics can be found in the content area on D2L. The format for the chapter assignments are as follows:
- 1. Provide a brief summary of the case or expectations of the assignment, if a readable case is available (Minimum 3 full sentences)
- 2. Answer/expand each of the questions associated with the case (Should be more than one sentence. AVOID yes, no, or I agree as your only response)
- 3. Provide a brief conclusion on how or why this could help you in understanding conflict management/
negotiations. - 4. Provide two credible external sources in addition to the textbook
Conflict Management: A Case Analysis from “The Best of Enemies”
- Please read the question and answer it. This assignment is turned into Turnitin. The course is on conflict resolution.
Since your goal is to learn how to identify key personality characteristics when interacting in live situations, rather than presenting a written case here, you are asked to tune into a television program or movie for a live case. Watch for ten to fifteen minutes.
You may also recall an experience or a vignette from memory. Try to identify in each character as many of the personality and behavioral characteristics studied in this chapter as you can.
Case Questions:
1. Was the task difficult? Why/why not?
2. Did you find it difficult to differentiate among or between any aspects? If so, you might study those aspects again.
3. Were the overwhelming majority of the personality aspects identified the same or similar to your personality aspect? If so, you may want to reflection why and do the case again.
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