Peer mediation: conflict as an opportunity of change
Keywords:
conflict, opportunity, mediation, school, education, behaviourAbstract
Conflict is a normal, natural part of everyday
life, the legitimate outcome of interactions between even
the most well meaning individuals. From our first moments
of life to our last, humans beings are continually involved
in conflicts. We conflict over mundane inanities as well
as the most pressing issues of the times. No aspect of life
is resistant to becoming the focus of human conflict.
Conflict is not only a normal part of living, it is also a
necessary part. It is through the friction of forces in
opposition that things change. Fields as diverse as political
science, biology, physics, and religion all view conflict as
a source of potentially positive change and growth. It also
plays an especiall y significant role in human
psychological development. The conflicts that we face in
our lives shape our characters, our cultures, and our
world. But conflicts are not always positive. Most of the
ideas free-associated with the word “confli ct†are
decidedly negative (fighting, pain, violence) and, on an
emotional level, people can feel unloved, angry and
depressed as a result of conflicts. Certainly, then, conflict
can have destructive as well as constructive
consequences.
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