Two Aspects of Conflict

The two aspects are, "emotional and substantive." These two are like the yin-n-yang of conflict and are difficult to separate. The substantive often lead to hostility and the emotional often multiply the substantive issues. Quit a conundrum don't you think?

The components of the emotional aspect of conflict, "anger, distrust, defensiveness, scorn, resentment, fear, and rejection" while the substantive aspects are, "conflicting needs, disagreement over policies and practices, and differing perceptions/conceptions of roles and use of resources."

If you encounter a hostile situation you must deal with the emotional aspects of conflict first. When your feelings run high or get lost in the monkey dance your abilities to resolve things rationally are stunted or lost completely as the hostility/conflict levels escalate.

When emotions are allowed to run rampant, i.e. the monkey is driving the bus, then those adrenaline chemical releases are taking over your mind and body thus leading you by the nose down that hostile and dangerous path that is fighting, doing damage and receiving damage.

Train yourself to recognize when emotions are triggered, take a deep breath and tell yourself that the emotions are to be stuffed back into the hindbrain cage you use to hold the monkey in abeyance while your logical and emotionally controlling brain works to deescalate the conflict and hostile encounter while it is still controllable. No, it is not that simple. It is just a way to get the mind to think in the moment, push the emotions back into the background and achieve a more hostile/conflict freeing state of mind. Study the true complexities of the emotions and hostile/conflict processes then achieve recognition and control - as much as is humanly possible.

Of course, as you might suspect I would state, avoidance is preferred long before emotions and substantive aspects trigger hostility and conflict, right?