{"id":39528,"date":"2021-06-11T08:23:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T12:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=39528"},"modified":"2021-08-14T15:54:35","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T19:54:35","slug":"approaching-conflict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/","title":{"rendered":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you the kind of person who often gets into high-conflict situations? Does conflict with one person tend to spill into your other relationships? What&#8217;s your way of approaching conflict?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being able to manage conflict efficiently and effectively is critical. Very quickly, a conflict can begin affecting more than the relationship in question. It can get in the way of your work and it put a strain on your other connections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we&#8217;ll take a look at two main mistakes most of us make when approaching conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conflict is Far-Reaching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you\u2019re stressed and unhappy in one area of your life, you carry those feelings with you. Further, the longer a conflict continues, the more time and energy you spend worrying about it, and the more that conflict interferes with the rest of your life. As the cycle continues, conflicts tend to expand and drag in the people around you as well.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A conflict can only be resolved when at least one side seriously considers how they might be wrong.<\/strong> Even if your position is correct and your intentions are good, you can still be wrong in the way you are approaching conflict\u2014your words, behaviors, and mindsets speak louder than your position. And it doesn\u2019t matter how good your position is if the way you express it creates further conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s take a big-picture look at the two primary things that most people do wrong when they approach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/conflict-resolution-methods\/\">interpersonal conflict<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. We Try to Correct the Behavior of Others<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We often have trouble resolving conflict because we approach the problem from the wrong angle.<\/strong> In conflict, we tend to focus our interactions with others on trying to get them to change by correcting their behavior, and that doesn\u2019t work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the Arbinger Institute, there are two main problems with trying to correct the people you\u2019re in conflict with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It\u2019s not helpful to correct someone who\u2019s upset with you because they don\u2019t want to listen. They\u2019ve already decided you\u2019re wrong, so even if you feel their reasons are foolish or invalid, arguing with them doesn\u2019t help. (Shortform note: Dale Carnegie, author of <em>How to Win Friends and Influence People,<\/em> notes that <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people\">criticizing others makes them defensive and prone to rationalizing their actions<\/a>. Carnegie recommends using praise and appreciation when suggesting change.)<\/li><li>You\u2019re trying to correct things that have <em>already<\/em> gone wrong instead of being proactive and preventing them from going wrong in the first place.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Resolving conflict requires a proactive approach; get involved before things go wrong<strong> and <em>before<\/em> the other person shuts you out.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-a-dynamic-system\/\">Dynamic Systems<\/a> Research Shows that a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/bottom-up-learning\/\">Bottom-Up Approach<\/a> to Conflict Works Best<\/strong>. <br><br>The Arbinger Institute takes a bottom-up approach to interpersonal conflict. Instead of attacking top-level behavioral problems by trying to correct what\u2019s going wrong, the Institute focuses on mitigating the underlying causes that lead to those behaviors. The Institute discourages prioritizing correction because when you aim for the nail that sticks up, you miss the factors that pushed the nail out in the first place. Taking drugs away from a teenage addict won\u2019t prevent them from accessing more, but a stronger support network and a more loving home might neutralize their need for drugs in the first place. <br><br>According to science writer Dan Jones, <strong>analysts and mediators of large-scale conflicts around the world have begun to shift their attention to a bottom-up view<\/strong> similar to the one Arbinger recommends. Jones explains that in long-running conflicts like the one between Israel and Palestine\u2014which has been ongoing for more than 70 years\u2014broad fixes and corrections are doomed to fail. A ceasefire, a peace accord, or a change in leadership doesn\u2019t address the underlying causes of the hostility that generated the conflict in the first place.<br><br>Jones interviewed mediation expert and dynamic systems researcher Robert Ricigliano, who says that <strong>it\u2019s important to see an ongoing conflict as a system of pressure dynamics. <\/strong>Ricigliano and his team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/news\/conflict-resolution-wars-without-end-1.17070\">use complex computer simulations to model the actions of the different agents in a competitive system,<\/a> all of whom are influenced by many smaller-scale pressures\u2014such as resource availability, local allegiances, and social dynamics. As the simulated agents work to satisfy their individual needs, they compete and cooperate, forming alliances and making enemies. <strong>Because the agents \u201cremember\u201d how they\u2019re treated by other agents, the whole system occasionally ends up locked in an aggressive cycle of recrimination.<\/strong><br><br>Like these digital agents, Ricigliano says, humans hold grudges and carry hostility forward, leading to intractable conflicts that resist resolution. When we intervene in such conflicts, he argues, we have to adjust our perspective: Addressing the <em>result<\/em> of the hostility isn\u2019t enough to prevent future conflict. Instead, <strong>the goal is to shift an underlying aspect of the system so that hostility begins to naturally decrease over time. <\/strong>If we can do that, Ricigliano suggests, we can consider the intervention a success, because the conflict begins to wind down as well.<br><br>In <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-anatomy-of-peace-by-the-arbinger-institute\/\">The Anatomy of Peace<\/a><\/em>, Arbinger explains that <strong>the \u201cunderlying aspect of the system\u201d that we need to address in our interpersonal conflicts is the way we treat people whose interests conflict with ours.<\/strong> To do this, the authors recommend adopting a new mindset\u2014one centered around being respectful of the humanity of others\u2014thus addressing the underlying cycle of hostility that drives these conflicts<strong>.<\/strong> Additionally, treating others with respect builds mutual trust, allowing us to resolve future conflicts cooperatively rather than competitively.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. We Refuse to Correct Our Own Behavior<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If it\u2019s been a while and a conflict hasn\u2019t been resolved, it\u2019s important to <strong>accept the possibility that you\u2019re misunderstanding something and are partially at fault.<\/strong> If your actions aren\u2019t at least leading <em>toward<\/em> a resolution, examine them. (Shortform note: Jordan B. Peterson, author of <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/12-rules-for-life\"><em>12 Rules for Life<\/em><\/a><em>,<\/em> explains that we should do this <em>regardless of how we feel<\/em>: In any dead-end conflict, he says, <a href=\"https:\/\/shortform.com\/app\/book\/12-rules-for-life\/rule-9\">we should assume we\u2019ve done something wrong along the way<\/a>, even if the error was small, or long ago.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To resolve conflicts fairly, it\u2019s important to approach them cooperatively. That means <strong><em>you <\/em>need to act and change, too<\/strong>\u2014you can\u2019t just suggest corrections and wait for the other person to do all the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Personal Change Is Contagious<\/strong>. According to some authors, changing your own behavior is the key to getting others to change. Art Markman, the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.penguinrandomhouse.com\/books\/313621\/smart-change-by-art-markman-phd\/9780399164125\"><em>Smart Change<\/em><\/a>, says that hypocrisy doesn\u2019t work here; <a href=\"https:\/\/greatergood.berkeley.edu\/article\/item\/six_ways_to_help_people_change\">you can\u2019t demand a behavior from someone that you don\u2019t effectively embody yourself<\/a>.<br><br>But, Markman says,<strong> if you can show others, by your own actions, how to be better\u2014and the benefits of being that way\u2014your behavior becomes contagious.<\/strong> Marksman particularly emphasizes <em>visibility<\/em>; the people whose behavior you want to change need to <em>see<\/em> you embodying the principles you want them to adopt. Loersch, et. al. note that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0022103108001170\">when others trust you, your <em>goals<\/em> become contagious as well<\/a>. This is particularly noteworthy in ongoing conflict\u2014<strong>if your goal is to find a healthy, equitable resolution to the conflict, make sure your words and actions show that.<\/strong> We\u2019ll explore this in more detail in Part 4.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Arbinger Institute suggests that in improving our approach to conflict, the first and most important step is always to change our mindset.<\/strong> Everything about the way our conflicts happen, Arbinger says, rises from our mindset, so it\u2019s important to understand what the authors mean by this term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Arbinger describes a mindset as running deeper than just the way you <\/strong><strong><em>think<\/em><\/strong><strong>; it\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-way-you-see-yourself\/\">the way you see yourself<\/a>, others, and the world<\/strong><strong><em>\u2014<\/em><\/strong><strong>and the conclusions you come to and the behaviors you choose as a result.<\/strong> The authors note especially that the undercurrent of our thoughts, words, and actions has a strong impact on how we come across to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can\u2019t just fake a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-have-a-positive-mindset\/\">positive mindset<\/a>, either; it\u2019s important to actually mean what you say and do.<strong> <\/strong>As Arbinger notes, <strong>when others can see that your words and actions don\u2019t match the way you think and feel, it doesn\u2019t matter how good your strategy is or how right you are.<\/strong> Until you address the way you\u2019re failing in your mindset toward others, your efforts will fall flat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you the kind of person who often gets into high-conflict situations? Does conflict with one person tend to spill into your other relationships? What&#8217;s your way of approaching conflict? Being able to manage conflict efficiently and effectively is critical. Very quickly, a conflict can begin affecting more than the relationship in question. It can get in the way of your work and it put a strain on your other connections. In this article, we&#8217;ll take a look at two main mistakes most of us make when approaching conflict.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,12,43],"tags":[391],"class_list":["post-39528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-relationships","category-self-improvement","tag-the-anatomy-of-peace","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes? - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we&#039;re approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we&#039;re approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1220\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Darya Sinusoid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\"},\"headline\":\"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\"},\"wordCount\":1401,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Anatomy of Peace\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Communication\",\"Relationships\",\"Self-Improvement\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\",\"name\":\"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes? - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00\",\"description\":\"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we're approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg\",\"width\":1220,\"height\":650},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46\",\"name\":\"Darya Sinusoid\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png\",\"caption\":\"Darya Sinusoid\"},\"description\":\"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes? - Shortform Books","description":"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we're approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?","og_description":"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we're approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1220,"height":650,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Darya Sinusoid","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Darya Sinusoid","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/"},"author":{"name":"Darya Sinusoid","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46"},"headline":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?","datePublished":"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/"},"wordCount":1401,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","keywords":["The Anatomy of Peace"],"articleSection":["Communication","Relationships","Self-Improvement"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/","name":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes? - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-11T12:23:00+00:00","dateModified":"2021-08-14T19:54:35+00:00","description":"We often struggle to resolve conflict because we're approaching it from the wrong angle. Oftentimes, a change in perspective is all you need.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","width":1220,"height":650},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/approaching-conflict\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Approaching Conflict: Are You Making These Mistakes?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/0421cce75bc249b11e2517b3a91f9c46","name":"Darya Sinusoid","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Untitled-design-1.png","caption":"Darya Sinusoid"},"description":"Darya\u2019s love for reading started with fantasy novels (The LOTR trilogy is still her all-time-favorite). Growing up, however, she found herself transitioning to non-fiction, psychological, and self-help books. She has a degree in Psychology and a deep passion for the subject. She likes reading research-informed books that distill the workings of the human brain\/mind\/consciousness and thinking of ways to apply the insights to her own life. Some of her favorites include Thinking, Fast and Slow, How We Decide, and The Wisdom of the Enneagram.","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/darya\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/conflict-argument-fight.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39528"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45354,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39528\/revisions\/45354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}