Running head: INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT 1

Intellectual Development: An Analysis of Conflict in the Workplace

Tyler Maruschak

Northern Illinois University

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Intellectual Development: An Analysis of Conflict in the Workplace

To truly understand a theory, one needs to apply it to their experiences. A theory that

really spoke to me as I traverse my graduate assistantship is Perry's Theory of Intellectual and

Ethical Development. I have come across this theory in a few situations but there was one

particular situation that was especially noteworthy with one of the student staff members I

directly supervise. For the purpose of this assignment, I will redact student names and replace

them with fake names, Roger and Matthew. My Community Advisor, Roger, is a prime example

of how this theory is practiced.

Dualism is a word that student affairs professionals seemingly use without much thought

to it. When I first heard this word used by a residence hall director, it didn't mean much to me.

Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, and Renn (2010) define dualism as "a mode of meaning making in

which the world is viewed dichotomously: good-bad, right-wrong, black-white" (p. 86). When I

read this, I instantly understood what it meant to be dualistic in nature. My mind wandered to

Roger's perception of the world and I felt that I understood him a little better.

An incident occurred earlier this semester where Roger posted a video on his "snapchat

story" which is equivalent to putting a video on a public medium for anyone to see. In this video,

Roger verbally attacked another Community Advisor's (Matthew) looks and actions simply

because he didn't like the way Matthew behaved. Matthew brought these videos to me stating

that he felt attacked and cyber bullied.

In conversation with Roger later on, Roger expressed discomfort with Matthew because

Roger shared that he identified as homosexual to Matthew earlier that semester, around the same

time Matthew began to treat Roger differently. Matthew stated that Roger expressed interest in

becoming "best friends" early and Matthew was not comfortable with this effort. Matthew began
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to distance himself from Roger coincidently at the same time Roger shared his sexual orientation

with Matthew. Roger felt that Matthew began treating him differently because of his sexual

orientation because of prior misconceptions of this process while Matthew was distancing

himself because he felt like Roger was coming on too strong. Roger viewed his actions as

justified because he thought he was attacking Matthew on the basis of "homophobia." I

supervised both Matthew and Roger so I served as the mediator for this conflict.

The cognitive dissonance between what was actually happening and the perceived events,

made this situation a prime example of Perry's theory. Roger viewed the world in a very dualistic

manner because he saw his actions as the only right way and Matthew's actions as completely

and entirely wrong. There was no in-between with Roger where he could look through another

lens to see a world where he was wrong in this situation. Roger saw Matthew's perceived

homophobia as justification to verbally attack him through a social medium.

I later asked Roger to put himself in Matthew's point-of-view. I asked Roger to verbalize

why Matthew would be upset in this situation. Roger's very dualistic response was "I don't see

why he has any reason to be upset. He was the one who doesn't like gays." Matthew was very

upset by this comment. Matthew showed multiplistic thinking when he put his anger to the side

and understood why Roger would be upset by this perception. Matthew admitted he was wrong

by opening his mind up to diverse views. Roger stayed true in his dualistic nature and didn't

waiver in his thinking.

The conflict mediation did not go as well as I had hoped. Roger could not see the error of

his ways. I had every chance and opportunity to fire Roger, but I decided to put him on

disciplinary probation instead. I wanted to create an action plan with the intent of educating

Roger. When I had to put Roger on disciplinary probation for his job, he had a very bad attitude.
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Roger took the action plan set forth before him as a way to single him out and eradicate him

from my staff. I had to sit down once again with him and have a conversation aimed at educating

him.

As a Community Advisor, Roger received education on honoring human differences.

Roger is in a development stage where he has a hard time understanding people different than

him. I worked hard these last few weeks in developing Roger's cognitive complexity consistent

with what Perry's theory suggests. I focused Roger's thoughts on the level of impact this

experience had on Matthew so that Roger could develop an understanding of what his feelings

would have been if the situation was reversed (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010).

When I posed this question, Roger worked very hard to open up his mind to the possibility that

he may have been wrong. He admitted that he would not have liked to see Matthew post a video

about him on social media if no knowledge of a prior conflict existed.

In follow-up to this situation, Roger showed even more dualistic thinking than just

viewing the world as right or wrong. Roger is also always searching for answers and guidance

and lacks confidence in his own abilities. I can see genuine effort from Roger to make changes in

his life but he is always looking for affirmation from me to ensure that he is making the right

decision. I have been working hard to develop Roger to make his own decisions. I think Roger

has begun to understand that the world is not just black or white. He told me a few days ago that

he understands that there are many right ways of handling a situation but he is constantly looking

for the best one. This is a step in the right direction from his previous feelings regarding the

situation with Matthew. I can tell Roger is in a state of cognitive dissonance while he undergoes

a significant change. I am happy to say that I am guiding him into a change toward multiplistic

thinking.
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Matthew and Roger struggled throughout this conflict. The restorative justice after the

conflict has been a positive experience. Roger showed an incredible attitude change in such a

short amount of time. My favorite outcome of this conflict was that Roger has been working

toward a goal. This educational experience has not only benefitted Roger in his life, but also my

staff dynamics.

Perry's theory is present in this situation in a multitude of ways. I loved watching student

development theory utilized in my daily interactions with undergraduate students. The dualistic

nature of Roger makes this situation a prime example of student this fundamental theory of

student development. I feel like I have an overarching understanding of Perry's theory after

seeing the direct correlation to the students I supervise. I look forward to seeing Perry's theory

integrated into other work I do.

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References

Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F.M., Patton, L.D. and Renn K.A. (2010). Student

development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Franciso, California: Jossey-Bass.