I’m a bit of a dilemma. I have a friend who, when faced with an opposing opinion, will attack me or refuse to rationalize their point. Disagreeing with a person at a point and time does NOT mean that I’m against them. I’m willing to listen to their point, and maybe even change my mind if they present it in a respectful, concise way. I’ve been told that I’m ‘passive-aggressive’, and that I ‘always have to be right’. I don’t get anything out of ‘being right’, and I’m pretty certain I’m not being passive-aggressive because my intentions are not malicious. I think my friend feels personally attacked, so when she feels cornered she’ll start dishing out the accusations. Those accusations tend to cut deep.
Without being a pushover, and allowing yourself to be compromised, how do you deal with people who get angry when threatened with another opinion? For the life of me, I can’t figure out how to deal with this problem. Just thinking about it is exhausting. When this happens, there usually ends up being hurt feelings. Do I fight for my self expression, or do I back down to avoid a temper tantrum???
