Do you face all disagreements the same way?

I do not agree. Whenever we hear these words the appropriateness of our thoughts comes into question.  Mostly we react to disagreements the same way regardless of the source of their origination. We do not realize that it is fruitless to try to sort out a disagreement with a random strategy until its origination is found. Understanding of origination helps us to develop our strategy to meet them successfully.

Here is a list of different types of disagreements and strategies to overcome them. I hope it will prove to be useful when next time you meet a disagreement.

1- Factual disagreement is caused by the lack of knowledge or wrong knowledge. With the presentation of facts, it is easily resolved.    

2- Referential disagreement is the one where disagreement emerges because of the different angles from which one approaches a fact. Both the parties agree with the fact but their different points of reference create the difference. To sort out such disagreements we need to acknowledge the fact and it’s different points of reference. If any one party is not ready to even acknowledge this, it is difficult to resolve.

3- Some disagreements occur because one party is seeing the whole picture and other is considering a part of it. Here the matter is not resolved until the party that sees a part of the truth realizes and accepts the comprehensive approach.
 
4- Disagreement which is caused by misunderstanding or misinterpretation of words or statements is easy to resolve but difficult to spot. This type of disagreement can be generated by both reader and writer. Either writer has not stated clearly or reader has not understood completely, but, in both conditions, it gives rise to dispute. To settle this kind of dispute we need to locate clearly which term or phrase is ambiguous and define it.

5- There are some differences which occur because of the difference in individual experiences. My experience of a relation might be very different from others’. The human reason is guided by rationality but it is mostly influenced by its own experiences. If I conceptualize a relation by my personal experience of it, it may result in different conception than yours. So, this kind of disagreement is not easy to resolve because there is no great evidence of a truth for us than our own experience. Here experience is not outer influences only but includes our inner experiences as well. The same phenomenon can be realized in different manners by different people. No arguments can resolve this kind of disagreement except either another realization which proves our experience otherwise or acknowledging and understanding the fact that it is one’s experience which has given birth to some particular conception.

6- Attitudinal disagreement is the one which appears by your attitude about a subject. One can indulge in an argument with a positive or negative attitude. One can initiate an argument with the purpose of more clarification and understanding of the truth. Healthy attitude leads to healthy discussion. But if one is already prejudiced negatively, anything even positively stated about it will appear as disagreeable only. With this negative approach no fruitful discussion ensues. This type of disagreement has deep roots in the attitude itself and without reaching to those depths there is no point in indulging oneself to sort out the matter of discussion.

7- Sentimental or emotional disagreement is about the way you feel regarding something. All arguments are useless if there is emotional disagreement. The most one can do is to approach the reason of particular emotion and talk about it.

8- Then there is disagreement which is deliberately created with intentions such as creating a fuss or bothering others or winning over etc. It has psychological reasons inherent in the person who shows disagreement. In this type, the discussion about subject itself is in vain. The strategy should be to attend the psychological cause which gave rise to hostile disposition if it is worth attended to.