Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange
Interpersonal Skills Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [conflict-aversion]

For questions regarding to the avoiding of an imminent conflict, or the general avoiding of a conflict that occurs on a regular basis. Questions regarding ongoing conflicts, or conflicts that are already started, please use the "conflicts" tag.

Conflicts can occur between people, and often they do not end well for either party, which is why conflicts should (usually) be avoided at all costs. However, some people cannot help but get involved in a conflict, or some people can be caught in one unintentionally. Questions here should be about yourself or people who would like to avoid such conflicts, or the avoiding of conflicts that could occur in the future.

If your question pertains to ongoing conflicts, or conflicts that are already started, please use the "conflicts" tag.

This tag can also be used with other tags such as friend if the conflict is with a friend, for example.

480 questions
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10 answers

What to do if you are accidentally following someone?

Imagine this: you're a male in their late twenties. It is dark and you're taking the shortest route to your home/car/llama. After sometime you realize that you have been following someone. To make it worse, the someone is a young woman walking…
Relix
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7 answers

Girlfriend's nosy mother keeps expressing that she'll show up unannounced

Some context: my girlfriend and I have been dating for a year, and we've decided to move in together now that she has graduated and found a job in her chosen career. We're both financially independent, and made this decision after a lot of…
Cork
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8 answers

How can I tactfully refuse to switch seats on flights?

On flights, seatmates (strangers near my seat) have asked me to swap my aisle seat (reserved in advance, sometimes paid for), usually to my disadvantage as their seat has some snag (dirtier, narrower, too close to lavatory). I usually answer 'Sorry,…
NNOX Apps
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11 answers

How to tell someone believing in pseudoscience & conspiracy theories is wrong without making them feel stupid/upset?

A close family member of mine is a raw vegan, anti vaxer, anti-antibiotics, anti-fluoride, believes in chemtrails, has a machine that filters water and makes it alkaline, eats lots of supplements, buys only organic produce and buys all her hygiene,…
Mythical_Ewe
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104
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12 answers

Meeting someone who used to bully me

When I was at school, I received quite a lot of verbal bullying. This waxed and waned over the years, and generally it was patchy enough that I could put up with it in the long term, even if in the short term I had some miserable days. But there was…
user2390246
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14 answers

How can I get someone to say their first name without letting on that I've forgotten?

I often face the problem of forgetting the name of a person who I last met a while ago. This can lead to an awkward situation when asking what their name is. How can I elicit them to say their name, without letting them know that I've forgotten?
A J
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11 answers

I have been asked to keep a secret about a surprise that I believe will end poorly

My parents have been divorced for roughly 40 years. The separation was unpleasant, as divorces frequently are, but so were the following decades. They have not spoken to each other outside of a handful of words during my wedding. There were…
Beofett
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8 answers

My best friend has become increasingly xenophobic towards Muslims. What do I do?

My best friend (let's call him Bob for potential answerers) whom I have been friends with since childhood (around 15 years) has become increasingly xenophobic recently. He's a great person and genuinely means no harm (also leans slightly to the left…
Bradley Wilson
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17 answers

How to handle people blocking your view and breaking the rules at the theater by not sitting in their assigned seats?

A while ago, my parents/brothers and I went to visit a theatre performance (in The Netherlands, where we live). We booked really nice first class tickets with empty seats in front of us. We booked them very last-minute, hoping we would be lucky, and…
Tinkeringbell
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Sketchy "friend" recently revealed true colors, is attending my wedding. Should I un-invite, and if so how?

I have a very tricky situation that has come up. I am getting married in two weeks (as the groom, age 39), and my fiancée (bride-to-be) has invited a close friend "Lucy" who is bringing her own fiancé "Sam" with her. Lucy is a sweet girl, is in…
Typewriter
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13 answers

How can I ask my girlfriend to be my gym buddy without hurting her feelings?

I've recently started dating a girl and we're an item, and are happy hanging out together. We have strong feelings for each other. She is somewhat overweight (not hugely so but not at a healthy weight) and I am a little overweight. Although I do…
MrSmith
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10 answers

What to do with a friend who cheats in games?

What to do with a friend who slightly improves his chances in the card or board games we play, by, for example, picking another card while we don't look or turning the dice? The games are played for fun, no money involved, but it kinda spoils the…
user1617
88
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9 answers

I'm in a committed relationship and I'm being hit on in the workplace - how do I stop it without bringing it to HR?

Some Background I'm a 21 year old female I'm living in west Europe I am in a committed relationship with my boyfriend The Problem I recently started an internship for the summer which is amazing but I'm having trouble with some male colleagues…
Chilly
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88
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17 answers

How to deal with someone who ignores your lack of knowledge?

I purposely made this question generally broad so that it can apply to more people in need of similar interpersonal skills, but I can easily make it about a specific scenario if needed. Problem My whole life, people have put me on a "genius"…
HugoBDesigner
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12 answers

How do I ask for an espresso if there's a good chance they don't know how to make it?

I like coffee and I live in Russia which is not generally a coffee drinking country. More often than not, when you ask for an espresso in Russia, you get 100 to 150 ml of liquid in your cup. The cafes as a rule have the good equipment: espresso…
Quassnoi
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