Apr 24, 2007
Applied Psychology: Conflict Escalation
PMBA member Vincent Touquet points us to this extraordinarily interesting article: “He Who Cast the First Stone Probably Didn’t”, written by Daniel Gilbert of Stumbling on Happiness
Key Takeaways:
- Conflicts naturally escalate because of three factors: (1) we can easily observe the actions of others, but not our own; (2) we can easily observe our own thoughts, but not those of others; (3) any pain we receive appears to be more real and hurtful than pain we inflict.
- The best way to diffuse this psychological aspect of conflict is to try to trust the good intentions of others and ignore what our brains infer to be escalating ill intent.
Think of this the next time you’re tempted to respond in retribution in any context, business or otherwise.
(Tip o’the hat to Penelope Trunk, who tipped Vincent off to the article.)
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2 Comments, Comment or Ping
Steve Olson
Josh,
Funny I just wrote a post related to the same subject. It was more directed at youth culture than at business culture, but the logic works in both spheres.
What Are We Teaching Our Children About Power and Self-Control?
Apr 25th, 2007
Narendra
Really a good article from NY times. but it only talks about the principle. how to address this first hit senario in our personal life?
Apr 26th, 2007