The Two Faces Of Conflict

One of the hardest things to handle in a relationship is conflict. Conflict has made relationships just as much as it has broken relationships. But, conflict happens to be an inevitable aspect of life experience. It is an avoidable fact in life, and that seems to be period.

What is Conflict?
Conflict is a struggle or contest between parties with opposing needs, ideas, beliefs, values, or goals. The dictionary depicts conflict as: a struggle to resist or overcome. A contest of opposing forces or power. A strife. A battle. Antagonism. Discord... But in simple and straight forward terms, conflict is a disagreement through which the parties involved perceive a threat to their needs, interests or concerns.

The Two Faces
Conflict can either be constructive or destructive. This, mostly, depends on the quality and stability of the relationship.
Constructive conflict can be described as one to be cooperative, pre-social, one that does not include aspects such as anger, intense and loud arguing and voices, and one that both parties seem to be concerned about preserving the relationship. This kind of conflict is one that is marked by the willingness to compromise. It is where couples argue, not to prove each other wrong but, to build each other up.

Destructive conflict, on the other hand, can be described as competitive, antisocial, out of control, damaging, uneven and one-way in nature. Care is substituted for ego and the desire to dominate. This conflict is all about aggression, destruction and control. It is where couples fight to prove each other wrong.

By geo_en