"High Conflict"

I read an interesting interview with Amanda Ripley on the topic of “high conflict”. Here’s how the interviewer, David Epstein, defines the term:

““High conflict” isn’t normal, healthy tension. It’s when disagreements devolve into “us versus them,” zero-sum combat (i.e. politics right now).”

How does one end high conflict? That is the theme of her book and this interview.

 

Ripley says that individuals need to break out of their identity group to break this vicious cycle. The fine print here is key. She does not mean someone on one side suddenly surrenders their core beliefs or defects to the other side. Rather, while they continue to hold onto their fundamental beliefs, it’s just that they stop agreeing with the extremes to which their group has gone.

 

Note here: high conflict can only happen when both sides behave in extreme ways. For the situation to de-escalate, what Ripley is saying needs to happen by more and more individuals on both sides.

 

This isn’t easy. People like to be part of a group. Others in the group don’t take kindly to any dilution in views – people toning it down are termed “traitors”; they find themselves alone and abandoned by their old groupmates. And even if one takes the plunge, it’s not easy to stay the course. After all:

“It’s usually easier to revive an old identity than to create a new one.”

 

Ripley suggests that when someone on the other side moves away from the extreme stance, the other side should acknowledge the change. Applaud the fact that the individual backed away from the extreme. Even though there will still be plenty of things one still disagrees with that person. That rarely happens.

 

She also recommends correcting and contradicting others in private rather than on Twitter or TV debates. After all, nobody is going to change their view when shown to be “wrong” in public forums, esp. in offensive ways.

 

You may think all this is limited only to politics. But all of what she said applies to other fields too, she says, from activists (environmentalists, social welfare) to former gang members. It’s a human problem…

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