Dealing with disagreements

Publication Type

Edited Book

Publication Date

8-2022

Abstract

Most people can recall encounters, episodes and experiences involving disagreements over an issue. Even when the same factual information is available to all parties, they may still disagree in the way they interpret the facts and make inferences. Individuals may maintain the same position despite being given new information that seems to contradict it. Sometimes, people may even claim that the contrary information presented supports their position, and it ends up strengthening their belief. The more important the issue, the more it affects interpersonal relationships negatively when there is strong disagreement. It gets worse when the issues seem clear and the individuals concerned are intelligent. In such cases, a lack of information or knowledge cannot be the explanation.When the disagreement is non-trivial, the situation will often generate negative thoughts, feelings and actions that significantly influence attitudes, decisions and behaviours. These dynamics in dealing with disagreement is part of our human psychology. It applies to all individuals regardless of their occupations and work roles, educational background, socio-economic status, political belief and moral position. But if the underlying psychology is understood, this knowledge can facilitate personal and workplace relationships. It can also help address disagreements between policymakers and citizens or advocacy groups.Several questions have become more salient in recent years, particularly amid COVID-19 challenges, as Singapore society underwent significant changes that impact on the nature and level of attention given to the way we deal with disagreements. What factors should we pay more attention to when dealing with disagreements? What are the policy and societal contexts, and can we deal with disagreements in an ethical way? How are disagreements affected by people’s social networks and social identities? What lessons can we learn from how we have dealt with disagreements? How do we approach disagreements better to effect positive changes?This book, based on the proceedings at the Behavioural Sciences Initiative Conference 2021, explores these and other issues about dealing with disagreements. The book is organised into four parts corresponding to the four sessions in the conference. Part 1 provides an overview of the issues involved in dealing with disagreements. Part 2 discusses issues of ethics and values in managing difficult situations. Part 3 analyses the relationships linking disagreements, social networks, diversity, and social identities. Part 4 addresses specific questions on dealing with disagreements in Singapore in terms of education, youths and inter-generational differences, the role and practice of the media, civil society advocacy and engagement, facts and signals in parliamentary debates and public discourse, dealing with feedback and viewpoints, political and public service leadership, and relationships between people and government.This book will provide new perspectives and possibilities on what it means to say “dealing with disagreements”, as we resolve problems and generate solutions to live a better life and build a stronger Singapore society.

Keywords

disagreements

Discipline

Organizational Behavior and Theory

Research Areas

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources

ISBN

9789811262753

Identifier

doi.org/10.1142/13037

Publisher

World Scientific Publishing

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1142/13037

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