The first thing to understand about conflict is that we often have a presenting issue, usually made visible by a triggering event. The presenting issue is the current manifestation of the conflict, which may be only the tip of the iceberg of the issues underlying it. The triggering event makes the presenting issue more obvious and is often some specific situation that has escalated the conflict.

We will use a simple example to illustrate these concepts, which can be applied to most conflicts. Let’s say a Person A is upset because, when in an academic debate with someone else, Person B does not verbally acknowledge the points they have been making. 

* Presenting issue: Person A perceiving Person B is not acknowledging their points.

* Triggering event: An academic debate between Person A and Person B.

When applying a conflict transformation lens, the goal is not to prove whether or not Person A or Person B is “right,” but rather to build greater understanding between the two people. Whether or not Person B is really dismissing Person A’s points is not the important factor here, but rather that the two people learn how to interact in a more mutually beneficial way in the future. We will learn strategies for more constructive communication in later Units, but for now, we will focus on identifying each of the layers of conflict.