From High Conflict to Good Conflict - by David Epstein

I’m going out on a limb with a bold election-season prediction: there’s going to be a lot of conflict. At the national level, obviously, but also at the level of colleagues, friends, and family. 

A few years ago, I was fascinated by the book High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, by journalist Amanda Ripley, whose work I’ve long admired. Ripley’s reporting on conflict management spanned astronauts who were stuck together to gang members who wanted to break apart. 

In addition to being a journalist, Amanda is a trained conflict mediator and the cofounder of Good Conflict, which trains people to navigate conflict in a productive manner. She has even worked with members of Congress and their staffers, on both sides of the aisle.

In this season of dispute, I invited Amanda to talk strategies for turning high conflict into productive conflict. Our conversation is below.

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