Put yourself in the shoes of other individuals or groups.

Identify a particular individual or group that you may oppose in a particular dispute. Does the individual or group appear unreasonable? Does their view of the world seem vastly different from yours? If so, put yourself in their shoes.

Pretend, for a moment, that you are this person or are part of this group.

  • Write down your answers to the following questions:
    • Why do you take the position that you do?
    • What are possible explanations or grounds for your arguments?
    • Do you feel that you are a reasonable person?
    • How do you view the other groups involved (including yourself in your original position in the dispute)?
    • Do these people (including yourself in your original position in the dispute) seem like they are unreasonable or see the world in very different ways than yourself?

Now, return to your "real" self.

  • Think of reasons why these groups and individuals feel just as strongly about their positions as you do about yours.
  • Do their positions and arguments make any greater sense? Can you see at all how someone would or could argue as they do? If not, can you appreciate how they could see the world differently than you?

By putting yourself in the shoes of others, you may achieve a greater understanding of how and why these people frame the conflict in the particular ways that they do.

 

 

Also available: General Environmental Dispute Simulation

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More detailed information, training opportunities, and information about our book,
Making Sense of Intractable Environmental Conflicts, is available from the Consortium.