Transcending Conflict/Daily Practice: Transcending Conflict

Here’s a “Transcending Conflict” Daily Practice Checklist, inspired by the Transcending Conflict Wikiversity module.^[1] This routine invites you to move beyond polarization by identifying emotions, exploring interests, and creating creative, win–win outcomes.

• Reflect: Conflict is inevitable, but transcendence is possible through creativity and collaborative insight.
• Set your intention: "Today, I will seek to transcend conflicts by understanding underlying goals and crafting solutions that serve everyone."

A. Recognize Emotions Rooted in Conflict

• Notice when emotions surface—such as fear, anger, shame, envy, or ambivalence.
• Pause and consider: What is this emotion signaling?

B. Identify Interests, Not Just Positions

• Move beyond rigid stances or polarized “either/or” thinking.
• Ask: What does each person truly want or need beneath the stated position?

C. Select a Constructive Conflict Strategy

Choose one style intentionally:

• Avoidance – Skip and address later
• Accommodation – Prioritize the relationship
• Compromise – Meet halfway
• Competition – Assert fully (use sparingly)
• Collaboration – Co-create a solution that honors all goals

D. Use the TRANSCEND Method to Build New Options

1. Insist on intellectual honesty
2. Clarify each party’s real goals
3. Discard goals that are invalid or harmful
4. Imagine creative, win–win alternatives (think “both/and”)
5. Choose the best positive-transcendence outcome

E. Root Discussions in Shared Reality

• When conflict arises, bridge difference through shared facts and aligned perspectives.
• Reality is the ultimate common ground.

3. Evening — Reflect & Reinforce

Journal or think through:

• What conflict did I encounter (big or small)?
• What emotions were triggered—and what message did they carry?
• Which strategy did I choose—avoid, accommodate, compromise, compete, or collaborate?
• If I collaborated:
  • Did I unveil underlying needs?
  • Did I generate creative outcomes beyond compromise?
• What helped me move toward transcendence—and what could I refine for tomorrow?

Pick an affirmation to close your day:

• “I seek shared ground, not false choices.”
• “Creative solutions rise above conflict.”
• “I embrace both/and thinking.”

1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this text responding to the prompt: “Generate an ‘transcending conflict’ daily practice checklist based on the materials at: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Transcending_Conflict”.