Learn to Resolve Conflicts

A conflict is an active disagreement between people with opposing opinions or principles. Conflict is an unavoidable part of life. Conflict is an inevitable part of any relationship.

Level B1/B2

Any disagreement and difference of opinion between two different personalities may cause conflicts in relationships. They can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. But you can deal with conflicts in relationships by creating a healthy environment and staying calm. Disagreements help people to strengthen interpersonal relationships.

Conflict resolution skills can be learnt. The first step in mastering these skills is understanding your own emotions and ability to control them. When you raise your emotional intelligence, it helps you to build strong relationships, resolve conflict situations and even prevent them.

Effective conflict resolution requires people to remain positive, patient, and sincere.

Steps to resolve conflicts:

Stop and don’t let things get out of control. Try to calm down, since anger makes conflicts more difficult to resolve.
Say what the conflict is about. Make sure you both have a clear understanding of what is causing the disagreement and clarify what each of you wants or doesn’t want.
Think of positive options. What’s a fair solution of the conflict?
Choose a positive option that everyone can agree on.
Rrespect the opinions of others, even if you can’t agree. Don’t interrupt the other person or refuse to listen.
Avoid name-calling and insulting. Avoid actions or words that may hurt another person.
Deal with your anger in a constructive way. Ignoring anger from conflict means ignoring the signs that something is not right in the relationship.
Take responsibility for hurt that your behaviour causes when this occurs.
Never use physical violence.

Conflicts can be constructive and they can help:

Learn more about yourself and your set of beliefs and values.
Build self-confidence and understand how to express and assert yourself.
Develop solid communication and negotiation skills.
Accept criticism gracefully and be open to new ideas.
Understand when to stand up for your beliefs and when to reevaluate them.
Respect the views of others, whether or not you agree with them.
Strengthen relationships with others by finding common ground.

Word List

break up – розійтись
The marriage on the basis of money is bound to break up. He made up his mind to break up with his girlfriend.

cheat (on somebody) – обманювати (когось)
He used to always cheat on my mom and beat her. I can’t help but cheat on my girlfriend.

drift apart – розійтися
If you don’t speak up and compromise, you and your husband will further drift apart. If you do nothing, there’s a danger you could drift apart.

inseparable – нерозлучні
The two brothers are almost inseparable. Rights are inseparable from duties. They used to be inseparable, but gradually drifted apart.

ups and downs – злети і падіння
Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs. Every relationship has a lot of ups and downs. We had a lot of ups and downs in our marriage.

argument – спірка
She got into an argument with the teacher. They got into a big argument about children upbringing. Every time we talk about money, we get into an argument.

break a promise – порушити обіцянку
If you make a promise you should keep it; you ought not to break a promise. He had never broken a promise in his life.

bully – хуліган, забіяка
A bully is always a coward. The aggression of a bully leaves people feeling hurt and angry. Don’t let them bully you. Fight back!

bullying – знущання
Bullying is a problem in many schools. Bullying can take many forms. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content.

conform to – дотримуватись правил, пристосовуватись
Students can be expelled for refusing to conform to school rules. She left home to escape the pressure to conform to her family’s way of life. Company workers must conform to a strict dress code.

fall out with – розбігатися, розходитися
I don’t like to fall out with my friends. They fell out with each other over misunderstanding.

fault – провина
I’m really sorry – it’s all my fault. If nobody loves you, be sure it is your own fault.

blame for – звинувачувати у
The media are to blame for starting the rumours. Why should I take the blame for somebody else’s mistakes?

accuse of – звинувачувати у чомусь
It’s natural to react with disbelief if your child is accused of bullying. You have no reason to accuse him of laziness.

immature – незрілий
He forgave his son’s immature behaviour. He’s very immature for his age.

leave somebody alone – залишити когось у спокої
Just leave me alone and stop asking me questions. I wish everyone would stop interfering and just leave me alone.

make fun of – висміювати, сміятися
People sometimes make fun of my name. He thinks it’s clever to make fun of people.

obey – слухатися, підкорятися
Soldiers are expected to obey orders without questioning them. Most people obey the law. He refuses to obey the school rules.

offend – образити
I didn’t mean to offend you. A solution must be found that doesn’t offend too many people.

punish – карати
My parents used to punish me by not letting me watch TV. It’s unfair to punish a whole class for the actions of one or two students.

threaten – погрожувати
Aggressive nations threaten world peace. If you threaten me or use any force, I’ll inform the police.

cohabitation – співжиття
There have been great changes in the patterns of marriage, divorce and cohabitation. More and more couples are choosing cohabitation over a wedding ceremony.

compatible – сумісний
The couple separated because they were not compatible. This software may not be compatible with older operating systems.

conventional – загальноприйнятий, звичайний
Mine was a conventional family upbringing. Not everybody nowadays lives in the conventional nuclear family.

family violence – насильство в сім’ї
The defects in family education, bad models, and the psychic trauma caused by family violence inspire the unhealthy mind of the juvenile.

live in fear – жити в страху
Some women live in fear of their husbands, and yet are terrified to leave.

abuse – жорстоке поводження
If you are experiencing abuse or violence, seek help immediately. Abuse can lead to both psychological and emotional problems.

manage conflict – управляти конфліктом
Conflict management is the practice of being able to identify and managing conflicts sensibly, fairly, and efficiently.

resolve conflict – вирішити конфлікт
How do you resolve conflict in your team? To resolve a conflict means to reach an agreement that satisfies all parties involved.