I think the reason why people view conflict negatively is quite simple.
They fear it, simply because they have no idea how to go about handling it. I
think the people that do not know how to handle conflict try to avoid it as
much as they can because they think negatively about it. While growing up, we
were always taught that conflict was a bad thing, which I personally think is
false. It is an opportunity to make a situation better.
I 100% think that if people were taught more about how to
handle conflict, they would not avoid it, or better yet fear it! The book says
it quite perfectly, “Unfortunately, too many conflicts turn sour because the
conflicting parties do not take the time and effort to find a more mutually
satisfying resolution.” I think that what this quote is saying is that if
people were taught tools/concepts what I have learned in this class, (i.e.
conflict resolution, compromise, The S-TLC system initiation and much more),
people would be much more successful in conflict resolution. Learning about
these simple yet extremely helpful concepts has taught me personally so much
about conflict resolution in the past four months than I have learned my whole
entire life!
I totally agree with you on your two main points. People fear conflict because of past negative experiences they have had when dealing in conflict. Because of this, conflict is something we view to be avoided at all costs. Avoid conflict, therefore avoid pain. Secondly, to your point on education; if we were more properly taught better ways in which to handle conflict (starting from early childhood on) we may better be prepared to handle it in the future. Through education we learn to see conflict not as something which should be feared, but rather something which can be embraced and used as a way to help deepen our relationships with others.
ReplyDelete