Fighting Fair

In this series, FIGHTING FAIR, John Bradshaw teaches us the first rule in "fighting fair," which is to honestly value each other really hear each person's point of view. The greatest aid to establishing deep intimacy is accepting each other's differences. This is the essence of a good relationship. Growth in relationships is about working through conflict, not about avoiding conflict. In order to have true intimacy in a relationship, it is crucial to "fight fair" and know how to negotiate and resolve conflict in a healthy way. Sadly, healthy skills for managing conflict are not often learned in our developing years. We may have learned unhealthy and inappropriate ways of handling disagreements that are often translated into our adult relationships. One of the most important tools John uses, The Awareness Wheel, offers crucial guidelines on negotiating conflicts and "fighting fair." Anyone learning to fight fair will develop a healthy understanding of his or her own and other's anger.