The 5 Types of Avoidance Behavior

Think through—and perhaps write down—the best way to cope with a conflict before reaching out to the other person or people involved. In particular, to get a broader perspective, consider how your actions—or inaction—might be affecting them. This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

Some of the things the other person tells you may be difficult to hear. But remember that criticism or constructive feedback is about job behaviors and not you as a person. You can download our Conflict Resolution Template to help you decide on the type of conflict you’re dealing with, and how to resolve each. Left unchecked, conflict can lead to bad decisions and outright disputes, bullying or harassment. Organizations feel the hit with wasted talent, high absenteeism, and increased staff turnover. Accommodation can be both effective and ineffective how to deal with someone who avoids conflict as an approach to managing conflict.

Five Conflict Resolution Strategies

The issues may be like the examples above or for a multitude of other reasons. Conflict can be healthy and resolve a lot of issues or it can be disastrous—causing even worse problems. It’s how you handle them that’s going to make all the difference in the outcome.

Conflict Resolution Training Example

For example, someone with high anxiety sensitivity may perceive the avoidance elements more intensely, leading to chronic indecision or withdrawal from action. This type of conflict is unique in that it centers around a single goal or situation that has both attractive and repellent qualities. If you’re ready to feel more confident expressing yourself in relationships, Makin Wellness offers specialized online therapy to help you understand  conflict avoidance.

Negotiation Essentials Online

• In the workplace, it sometimes seems as if some types of conflict are always with us.
• Whether the plan is another meeting, completion of certain tasks, or a system of monitoring, it should be defined clearly.
• Successful individuals are able to match their style to the situation.
• When you reconvene, you’ll likely find that your mind is clearer and your willingness to engage constructively increased.

If you’re a visual person, for example, you can relieve stress by Sober living house closing your eyes and imagining soothing images. It’s also about ensuring that problematic issues (like the one with your co-worker) are dealt with so they don’t happen again in the future. Conflict resolution is about standing up for yourself and communicating when you feel angry or frustrated. Disagreeing with someone doesn’t necessarily mean “fighting.” Keep in mind that it’s not about blaming the other person or proving who’s right and wrong in a given situation.

“Avoiding conflict can compromise our resilience, mental health, and productivity in the long term,” writes Andrew Reiner for NBC News. By contrast, one study of over 2,000 people aged 33 to 84 found that those who intentionally resolved daily conflicts reported that their stress diminished. They also experienced fewer negative emotions than others in the study, and their positive emotions remained stable for longer periods of time. There can be legitimate reasons for avoiding conflict, such as the need to break off an abusive relationship.

• “A lot of people anticipate that talking about how they feel is going to be a confrontation,” psychologist Jennice Vilhauer told the New York Times.
• Common mistakes to avoid are trying to soften the message by mixing it with complimentary statements or using an overly familiar tone of voice initially before addressing the problem.
• If there are negative consequences such as missed events or obligations people tend fault and accuse one another which adds negative emotions to the situation.
• If you’re ready to feel more confident expressing yourself in relationships, Makin Wellness offers specialized online therapy to help you understand  conflict avoidance.

What’s Your Conflict Management Style?

This anxiety might cause you to avoid or sidestep important conversations. During confrontations, you can try to practice anxiety-management techniques. The compromiser may say things such as, “Perhaps I ought to reconsider my initial position” or “Maybe we can both agree to give in a little.” In a compromise, each person sacrifices something valuable to them. Compromising is often used in labour negotiations, as typically there are multiple issues to resolve in a short period of time.

Over time, this can contribute to chronic emotional fatigue and dissatisfaction. Conflict avoidance often gets https://ecosoberhouse.com/ a bad rap, but the truth is, it’s a natural response. Most of us have, at some point, dodged a difficult conversation or tried to sweep disagreements under the rug, hoping they’d disappear. Let’s dig into what conflict avoidance really is, why we do it, and how it impacts our relationships and emotional well-being. We do know that most individuals have a dominant style that they tend to use most frequently. Think of your friend who is always looking for a fight or your coworker who always backs down from a disagreement.

Conflict avoidance can damage your relationships and harm your mental health. This people-pleasing behavior can also make it difficult to set and maintain boundaries. Accommodating demonstrates a low commitment to goals and high commitment to relationship. It occurs when a person ignores or overrides their own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other party.

According to Kurt Lewin’s field theory, as one moves closer to a goal, the avoidance tendency often becomes stronger than the approach tendency—especially if the negative aspects of the goal loom larger. This phenomenon contributes to hesitation and procrastination, as the individual becomes emotionally paralyzed by the increasing salience of potential negative consequences. When you employ the avoiding conflict style, you don’t deal with a conflict at all. It’s a risky approach, because doing nothing doesn’t make the conflict go away. And it can strain a relationship since it will seem as if you don’t care about the outcome.

Once you’ve discussed a dispute and evaluated the best approach, take action on the solution you’ve identified. Letting others in on your decision lets them know you care and are moving forward. Whether discussing a conflict with a spouse or intervening for two employees, setting guidelines before you begin is essential. Participants should agree to speak calmly, listen, and try to understand the other person’s point of view. Agree up front that if the guidelines aren’t followed, the discussion will end and resume later.