There is no such thing as a perfect family. Minor day-to-day scuffles and occasional misunderstandings are not impossible when a group of people live and move together in one place. This is part of the dynamics that exist in every family.
But family conflicts can become more than just your average arguments. These conflicts can become long-standing and detrimental to the overall well-being of everyone involved. Are you equipped to deal with this?
First, let’s take a look at the role that families play in our lives.
How Important Are Families?
As children, our families are the source of our basic needs, such as food and shelter. Our families, mainly our parents, also have the responsibility of keeping us safe and providing us with education. But their roles go beyond supplying our basic needs. Families are also crucial for our development.
It is through our families that we get to learn about the greater society. This is where we first learn how to interact with others. Apart from that, much of our emotional regulation can be influenced by our upbringing in the familial setting.
Families have key roles in our development. This is the reason why being in serious conflict with them can be more difficult. We see them as the primary source of comfort and resources. Not only do you have to deal with the conflict at hand, but you also have to address the dissonance that the argument creates within you.
Effects of Family Conflict
The effects of family conflict can be observed in multiple ways.
Changes in Family Dynamics
Every family has different patterns of behavior and interaction with each other. We call these patterns their family dynamics. These patterns often determine a few outcomes of a person’s life, including their health and mental wellness.
Internal family conflict will cause some changes to the dynamics of the family. Conflicts cause tense situations that force members to take sides. It can be hard to live a life where you are always expecting some type of argument, especially in your homes where a lot of your development happens.
These conflicts may change the way you view and treat your family members. With that, there will surely be changes to the way you interact with one another.
Added Stressors
Constant arguments are also added stressors. Family members in conflict with each other often have uncontrolled emotions that may turn into arguments. Note that arguments and interpersonal conflicts happen when two parties have opposing interests and goals. This can easily fuel negative emotions such as anger.
It can be difficult to subdue negative emotions once they start. And it can be stressful for everyone in the household, not just for those directly involved in the conflict.
Lessened Productivity at School or Work
Of course, this stress will manifest in physical and psychological ways. Constant stress may cause you to sleep less due to the anxiety that these conflicts bring. It may affect your productivity and performance at work or school.
This is why we must actively avoid conflicts, especially within the family. The role of a family is integral for a harmonious life. Any disruption in home and family life will surely creep its way to other facets of our lives.
Luckily for us, there are things that we can do to deal with family conflict.
What You Can Do
Confronting the Situation
Solving a problem means you have to recognize that there is a problem in the first place. Confronting the situation essentially means knowing the root cause of the conflict to start working your way for solutions.
Confronting your family’s conflicts can be hard. It will take a lot of bravery and courage for you to start addressing the situation. If the cause of conflict is of legal concern, you can consult a family attorney to know the best course of action.
Conflict Resolution
It is always best to try to resolve conflicts. Conflict resolution is how these two opposing parties start to find ways to actually solve the conflict at hand. This is an important step that all families must recognize and try to do.
Conflict resolution often takes time and effort for both parties. This is where they will come up with solutions that work best for both of them. It will require good communication and patience to end up with well-informed decisions for resolution.
True enough, families play a vital role not just in our development but our survival as well. This is why it is only fit that we try to nurture our relationships with them. This is not to say that you should always try to resolve conflicts. That is totally up to you and your capabilities to deal with the situation. But having good relations with your family can help in increasing your overall well-being. So don’t hesitate to give it a try.
