PCN 520 Week 3 DQ 1: Conflict in Group Transition
The prompt says conflict appears when a group is in transition, which frames it as developmental rather than as a failure. A leader who treats conflict as a problem to remove stalls the group.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 16, 2026
Three questions, and the third one is about you
Take the prompt's framing seriously: conflict typically appears when a group is in transition. That is a developmental claim, and it changes what a leader is supposed to do. The transition stage is where members test whether it is safe to be real, and conflict is how that test is conducted, so a leader who smooths every disagreement keeps the group in a polite and superficial phase indefinitely. Name several forms rather than one. Challenges to the leader's authority or competence, competition between members for attention or status, scapegoating of one member, resistance expressed as lateness and silence rather than as argument, subgrouping and alliances outside sessions, and value conflicts between members whose lives look very different. Each has a different management response, so listing them separately earns more than a general point about conflict being normal. Say which of them you have actually seen, since one described from memory reads differently.
Substance use groups have particular textures worth naming, and the prompt asks for them explicitly. Mandated attendance changes the whole picture, because a member who is there under court or employer pressure has a different relationship to the work than one who chose it, and the resulting resistance is rational rather than pathological. Members at different stages of change collide, so someone in early ambivalence hears someone in maintenance as sanctimonious. Confrontation has a contested history in addiction treatment, and the evidence has moved away from it toward motivational approaches, which is worth knowing before you defend a confrontational stance. Then the personal question, which deserves honesty: most people avoid conflict, and a leader who avoids it will unconsciously redirect the group away from the material it most needs. Say what your own tendency is and what you would do to counteract it. Name the behaviour you would watch for in yourself.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Treat conflict as a developmental stage rather than a malfunction.
- 02Distinguish several forms of group conflict and their management.
- 03Identify features specific to substance use groups, including mandated attendance.
- 04Assess a personal conflict style and its effect on leadership.
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Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. 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I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! PCN 520 Grand Canyon Week 3 Discussion 1 Latest July 2016 Grading Rubric Guidelines Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0 Scholarliness Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions. Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis. Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis. Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion. Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic. Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions. 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Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson. Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post. 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The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty Has only one post for the week Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments Does not post to the thread No connections are made to the topic Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point Grammar, Syntax, APA Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted. Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing. The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition 2-3 errors in APA format. Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication. 4-5 errors in APA format. 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The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days Early Participation Requirement per discussion thread The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.
Turn the brief into deliverables
- 01An explanation of why conflict marks the transition stage.
- 02Four or five distinct forms of conflict.
- 03At least two features specific to substance use groups.
- 04An honest account of your own reaction to conflict.
- 05A stated counter-strategy for that tendency.
Forms of conflict, your reaction, then the influence
Conflict as a stage
Explain what the transition stage is testing.
The forms it takes
Distinguish authority challenge, scapegoating, subgrouping and passive resistance.
Substance use groups specifically
Address mandated attendance and mixed stages of change.
Your own reactions
Describe your conflict tendency honestly.
How it will shape your leadership
Connect the tendency to a practice risk and a counter-strategy.
Conflict as a stage, not a malfunction
Recommended databases
- PubMed Central
- PsycINFO
- NCBI Bookshelf
- Your assigned chapter
Search sequence
- 1.Read a group development model before writing about transition.
- 2.Search for confrontation versus motivational approaches in addiction treatment.
- 3.Look for evidence on mandated treatment and outcome.
- 4.Find literature on scapegoating in therapy groups.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.
- 01
Group Therapy
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Group therapy's mechanisms and structure, which is what a leader is managing.
- 02
Keys to great group therapy
Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2019
Practitioner-facing account of what makes group work succeed, useful for the leader-skill sections.
- 03
The role of family influences in development and risk
Alcohol Health and Research World · 1997
The family as a risk and protective system in substance use — the evidence base behind involving them at all.
- 04
Relapse Prevention: An Overview of Marlatt's Cognitive-Behavioral Model
Alcohol Research & Health (NIAAA), via PubMed Central · 1999
Relapse prevention as a model, which shows why members at different stages respond so differently to challenge.
- 05
Disruptive and Unprofessional Behavior
AHRQ Patient Safety Network · 2021
How unaddressed interpersonal conflict escalates when nobody intervenes — the case for blocking rather than smoothing.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Treating conflict as something to be prevented.
- Listing conflict types with no differentiated response.
- Ignoring mandated attendance, which reframes resistance entirely.
- Claiming to be comfortable with conflict, which is rarely true and never examined.
Submission checklist
- Have you framed conflict developmentally?
- Do the forms you name have different responses?
- Are substance-use-specific features addressed?
- Is your self-assessment honest enough to be useful?
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