FOUR errors made by Jessica and Amelia – LO Grade 12

On this page, we help learners to figure out one of the questions from the Grade 12 Life Orientation Source-based Task Term 1 which is:

Discuss FOUR errors made by the participants in the dialogue

In order to identify the four errors made by the participants (Amelia and Jessica), let’s look at the dialogue case study again below:

Four errors made by the participants in the dialogue

In order to find all the errors made by the participants, you should look at page 16 of Life Orientation Grade 12 Focus textbook on “Conflict Resolution Skills”. Based on the case study above, Jessica and Amelia made the following errors:

1. Amelia attacks instead of communicating assertively – She storms in and accuses Jessica immediately. Instead, she could have used an ‘I’ statement:
   • “I feel frustrated when my messages are ignored because I really need help with studying. I would like us to find a way to support each other without affecting our schedules.”
2. Jessica avoids addressing the conflict – She ignores Amelia’s messages instead of explaining earlier. She could have used negotiation skills by planning a response that acknowledges Amelia’s concerns while also setting boundaries.
3. Amelia dismisses Jessica’s explanation – She refuses to believe Jessica and brings up past issues. Instead, she should have practised listening and rephrasing skills to show understanding:
   • “So you’re saying you’ve been really busy and not intentionally ignoring me?”
4. Jessica reacts emotionally and ends the friendship abruptly – She allows emotions to take over and cuts ties. She could have applied self-control skills to stay calm and suggest a solution, such as setting a time to talk after the exam.
5. By using conflict resolution strategies such as assertive communication, negotiation, and active listening, they could have avoided escalation and found a compromise.