Embracing Mindfulness During Interpersonal Conflict
Mindfulness March 23, 2026 Liane W.Y. Lee, Robin Stanley Snell, H.W.L. Lei et al.
Mindfulness helps people handle interpersonal conflicts constructively by cultivating a state called disentanglement—meta-awareness, disidentification, and reduced reactivity—combined with planning and taking constructive action. Based on interviews with 20 mindfulness practitioners, three sets of methods were identified: getting ready and staying ready (inducing and maintaining disentanglement), goal setting for peaceful action (formulating clear intentions about conflict processes and outcomes), and acting peacefully (pursuing those intentions through peaceful yet assertive action to defuse and resolve conflicts). The restorative value of meditation was also discussed. Assertiveness, non-violence, and compassion likely complement these practices.