Mental and Emotional Health: Conflict, Bullying, and Violence

Conflict

Young man and young woman standing back to back
Managing conflict effectively is an important life skill
Credit: Photodisc

Conflict is unavoidable because everyone has their own ideas, beliefs, and concerns. Conflict is a disagreement between two opposing groups or individuals.

Managing conflict in a positive way can help you find new or better solutions to problems and help you communicate better with others.

Violence is a negative way to resolve conflict.  two kittens fighting It provokes further violence, such as revenge.  In 2007, a piece aired on Michigan Radio News with Christina Shockley titled, Factors That Leads Kids to Violence. It was said that it is difficult to predict who will be violent because there are a number of factors involved.  They also said that the average child sees violent images daily.  They will see 8000 murders and 100,000 violent acts before they even leave elementary school. 

They also noted that adults model behavior for children.  If they are modeling violence it will often times lead to violence.  It leads to a cycle of violence.  It is important to learn conflict resolution skills at an early age because of the violence that is in our society today.