How we deal with conflict... 

We live in a social world, and as we navigate our daily lives each of us frequently encounter situations that lead to conflict. The ability to deal effectively with conflict becomes an important life skill that each person needs to develop from an early age.

 
Children also need to learn healthy ways of managing conflict and stressful situations from the modelling their parents demonstrate, as this will assist prevent the development of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

 

 

The family we each grow-up in is a major influencing factor as to how we manage conflict as adults in our own marriage and family, and to a lesser degree, the broader community. Our parents teach us our first lessons in conflict resolution.

 

 Our conflict resolution skills and attitudes are then shaped by

• our gender,
• time in history,
• along with life circumstances and
• life experiences.
  

One would think that a marriage without conflict is something to aspire to. WRONG!

A marriage where there is no conflict usually has dysfunctional aspects. The deeper issues are rarely discussed. The negatives do not become apparent until the couple have been together for many years. 

 

Conversely, too much fighting and destructive conflict is also extremely harmful to  relationships...for children and adults alike.

Both in marriage and family life, it is important to have honest, passionate discussions and disagreements as well as to effectively manage conflict.  See our 10 step guide to managing conflict
 

 

Copyright Humaneed 2013