It's not about winning - understanding and managing arguments effectively

In this episode we discuss the underlying reasons for getting into arguments, how you may experience the argument, your conflict style and what can be done to argue more effectively with your partner or others. What do you you consider to be an argument? Is is when someone shout at you or do you think you are in conflict if the other person has a different opinion? The way we view arguments is down to our previous learning about conflict, either in our family of origin, with friends or at school. We learn how to argue and how not to argue. Sometimes our strategies serve us well, often there are better ways of going about resolving differences. In this episode we talk about factors that contribute to one or the other partner initiating an argument and your different conflict styles. For example did you learn to appease others or to strike first pre-emptively? There are useful rules to bear in mind when wanting to resolve your differences in a way that makes both of you feel heard and understood.