How do you think dealing with conflicts or disagreements play a role in the growth and freedom
within a romantic relationship?
In many ways. Conflict and disagreements occur when two people with two different perspectives
are approaching an issue with two different goals, two different solutions, two different
approaches, or a myriad other differences that can occur when going through life. This is an
opportunity to consider who I am, who the other person is, what our shared goals are, what our
individual goals are, what areas are we willing to compromise, what areas are non-negotiables,
and how do we handle the non-negotiables. This is fertile ground for growth between two mature
people. I'm able to consider a perspective quite different than my own that has insight that I
don't have. I'm able to share my own perspective. In doing so I work out the details of what it
is I truly believe and why. In that process perhaps I have my views changed or I'm able to
strengthen my previous viewpoint. I'm able to assess what it is I want in life, because I have
my own unique desires, but I'm in a relationship, so some of my desires entail my partner having
her desires fulfilled, and what am I willing to give up because her thriving is part of my
thriving. It helps me to determine what are my non-negotiables, because I need to thrive as
well, and there are things in my life that give me deep meaning, and there are things in my life
that I won't compromise on because they don't align with who I want to be, but the conflict
helps me to work out what those things are. With a healthy, mature partner, I'm free to work all
of that out in the conflict, because we trust and honor each other and even though we're not
currently seeing eye to eye, we ideally want what's best for each other and the relationship, so
we're exploring the different possibilities of what our relationship is and what we want it to
be and who we are and who we want to be.