Ways of thinking between generations

Dialogue, empathy and conflict resolution

Abstract

Since the first human settlements, coexistence between people of different generations has been an inherent condition of the human being. In the course of the last decades, studies of intergenerational relations have given more attention to the benefits and difficulties that involve the participation of people of different ages. However, in the investigations focused on the application of intergenerational programs in different community life, the attention is usually focused on the benefits of said programs, leaving in second place the study of the possible conflicts that may arise within them and the forms of conflict resolution available to its members. This research focuses on the latter aspects, based on the identification of the conflicts that have risen in the development of the activities of the research program “Prevención de la violencia: Educando para una cultura de paz a través de la participación social” (Prevention of Violence: Educating for a culture of peace through social participation), with the objective of analyzing the ways in which intergenerational programs can influence the learning process of skills and techniques for conflict resolution. The methodology corresponds to a qualitative paradigm, using a case study of where the population is made up of three generations: children, university students (young adults) and senior citizens. The results show the importance of dialogue and empathy as fundamental elements in conflict resolution.