Conflict is part of our everyday lives. We all see the world in different ways. Our individual circumstances, opinions and viewpoints mean we do not always see things the same way, leading to disagreements, difficult conversations and potentially damage to our relationships with others.
We often think of disagreement and conflict in negative ways, forgetting that progress depends on dissatisfaction and disagreement with the current situation. It is inevitable that we will have conversations with others that we find difficult because we see thing differently to them.
These conversations can be handled in ways that can lead to a positive, rather than negative, future. We can strengthen our relationships by more fully exploring where we see things the same and where we see them differently. Conflict is not necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to a better future.
This section looks at the typical stages that disagreement and conflicts go through and some key factors that contribute to disagreement getting out of hand, resulting in damaged relationships.