Courtesy of freestock.com
As this blog enters its seventh year (thank you readers), I decided to revisit my first blog topic Compassionate Disagreements from a different angle. Disagreements are often the precursors to conflicts. According to the Social Work Theories, offered by the Mary Livermore Library, "Conflict theory claims that society is in a perpetual conflict and competition for limited resources." Unresolved conflicts disrupt internal and external peace and often result in domestic and international violence. In an effort to make conflict resolution resources readily accessible, the Program on Negotiation, based at Harvard Law School, is "dedicated to improving the theory and practice of negotiation and dispute resolution." Let's discuss.....
The Program on Negotiation (PON) was founded in 1983 at Harvard Law School as a special research project. Today, PON is a consortium comprised of faculty, students and staff from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University. The goals, in all activities and programs, include focusing on creative innovative ways to "encourage new thinking in negotiation theory, nurture the next generation of negotiation teachers and scholars, and increase awareness of successful conflict resolution processes."
Here is a link to the website - https://www.pon.harvard.edu/
The website offers:
(1) free videos and downloadable materials,
(2) and information about fee-based virtual and in-person events and classes.
YouTube Access: https://www.youtube.com/@ponhls/videos
Why Study Conflict Resolution?
We are bound to experience conflicts in personal and professional relationships. In the article, Why is Conflict Resolution Important? by Jacob Imm, "Since conflict is an essential part of being human, effective conflict resolution is not designed to avoid conflict. Instead, conflict resolution skills are used to facilitate discussions, increase understanding and control emotional responses."
A video I enjoyed: Managing the Negotiation Within: The Internal Family Systems Model (To be discussed in Part 2).
How do you resolve conflicts? Feel free to comment:
Gratitude: Thank you for reading!
References:
Negotiation image courtesy of
<a href="https://www.freestock.com/free-photos/negotiation-abstract-linear-rosette-363100355">Image used under license from Freestock.com</a>