Differences in the ways emotions are expressed can become a fundamental cause of conflict, as people perceive emotions through the lens of their life experiences, social status, and personal characteristics.

Bridging Emotional Differences to Resolve Conflict

Differences in the ways emotions are expressed can become a fundamental cause of conflict, as people perceive emotions through the lens of their life experiences, social status, and personal characteristics. One source notes, "Conflict is misunderstanding. If a person differs from us in any way, he is poorly understood. This may lead to clash and confrontation..." (source: link txt). In other words, when one person expresses their feelings in a manner different from what is customary for another, it leads to misleading interpretations and assessments of their behavior.

Additionally, it is important to consider the tendency people have to critically dismiss expressions that they cannot unambiguously interpret or do not wish to acknowledge. This is stated as follows: "We have a tendency to critically regard or categorically reject everything that we do not understand or, rather, do not want to understand. This is clearly evident in our desire to prove to children that they are mistaken about their feelings..." (source: link txt). This emphasizes that refusing to accept and understand another's emotional expressions can intensify conflicts in communication.

Moreover, an important role is played by the fact that each person possesses a unique set of life principles and experiences. As noted in one of the texts: "The dissimilarity, the lack of alignment of opinions and viewpoints, and as a consequence, the clashes occurring between people, are generally generated by the differences among individuals. ... Therefore, the main task in a dispute or confrontation is to strive to comprehend the opponent’s arguments, to step into their shoes, and to try to understand what they think about the issue and how they see the situation..." (source: link txt). This explains that the success of communication largely depends on the attempt to understand another's emotional spectrum rather than trying to impose one's own perception.

Thus, when people express their feelings differently, they often face difficulties in grasping the true message of the other. Consequently, mutual misunderstanding arises, intensifying conflict and creating emotional tension in communication.

Supporting citation(s):
"Conflict is misunderstanding. If a person differs from us in any way, he is poorly understood. This may lead to clash and confrontation..." (source: link txt)
"We have a tendency to critically regard or categorically reject everything that we do not understand or, rather, do not want to understand. This is clearly evident in our desire to prove to children that they are mistaken about their feelings..." (source: link txt)
"The dissimilarity, the lack of alignment of opinions and viewpoints, and as a consequence, the clashes occurring between people, are generally generated by the differences among individuals. ... Therefore, the main task in a dispute or confrontation is to strive to comprehend the opponent’s arguments, to step into their shoes, and to try to understand what they think about the issue and how they see the situation..." (source: link txt)