How to Resolve Cultural Conflict?

03 Jun How to Resolve Cultural Conflict?

Conflicts trigger strong emotions, but also feelings of disappointment and malaise. When a conflict or quarrel is handled in an unhealthy way, it can lead to resentment and irreparable breakdowns. However, when managed in the right way, understanding and trust increase and ties are strengthened.

To deal with a conflict in the right way, it is essential to recognize your feelings and emotions in order to understand your needs. If a person does not know his feelings and what is happening to him, it is very difficult to communicate with others and resolve the conflict.

What does the ability to resolve a conflict depend on?

The ability to resolve a conflict successfully depends on the ability to control stress and emotions, to pay attention to the other and to be aware and respectful of the differences.

Stress control: if you are able to control stress quickly, without ceasing to be alert and calm, you can interpret the verbal and non-verbal communication of your interlocutor accurately. Pay attention: only in this way can you discover others’ feelings and listen to what they are saying to you.

1. Pay attention and listen

When you listen, you connect with your needs and emotions, as well as those of other people. Listening also strengthens you, helps you understand what’s going on, and allows others to listen to you.

2. The priority is to resolve the conflict and not determine who is right

In discussions, it’s not about winning or losing, but about keeping the relationship intact and moving forward. For this, it is essential to respect the other person and his point of view.

3. Without grudges: what matters is the present

If you remain anchored to the resentment of the past, your ability to see reality will be compromised. If you want to move forward, you will need to focus on the present moment, here and now, and solve the problem instead of continuing to look back.

4. If you can avoid it, don’t start a discussion

Solving a conflict can be tiring, so do everything you can to avoid it if you can really do it, especially if it is a matter of little importance.

5. You must be willing to forgive

It is impossible to resolve a conflict if you are unwilling to forgive or are unable to do so. If you can’t get rid of the need to punish the other, you can’t really solve the problem, even if you come to an agreement or a truce.

6. Sometimes you have to let things go by themselves

Sometimes it can happen that we don’t reach an agreement. However, “two people don’t quarrel if either one doesn’t want to do it,” so one option would be to let it go and move on, without letting the discussion become a matter of principle.

Although this is not always possible or advised, flying over small disagreements could be a good solution. In this way, the conflict does not grow and does not become something really important.