[A055] Just Can't With Them: Survive Conflicts With Family

The holiday season just ended. How did you survive?

Many families dread the holidays because of family disagreements. These past holidays might have been especially trying, thanks to the election.

And, even though you’ve navigated the holidays, there’s a good chance you still need to see family members at a major gathering. Sunday dinner? Grandma’s 80th birthday party? A family reunion in the summer?

At some point you’re going to have more conflicts with family. This episode will help you get through it.

Concepts

• How emotion and identity impact the way we talk about difficult subjects.
• The difficulty of seeing family when you spend more time with friends who might agree with you more.
• Concerns about how "being right" and a "team" mentality can make it hard to talk about thorny issues.
• Tips for setting the stage for civil and polite conversation rather than conflicts with family.
• Ideas for defusing a difficult "conflicts with family" situation when it arises.
• The importance of avoiding big discussions on social media.
• The reality of our interconnected world and how it contributes to conflicts with family.

Listen to our "do nows" for ideas on what you can do to take action to avoid or help defuse conflicts with family. We also answer a listener question about religious tensions in family settings.

Resources