ABSTRACT
First, we need to understand what we mean by someone being “difficult”. Some self-awareness may be necessary to assess who is being difficult!
Why do some people seem to be more difficult than others? Subject to a caution about generalisation (which applies to many other aspects of the book) we need as professionals to understand the root cause of people being “difficult”, insofar as we can. In some cases, being difficult may manifest as anger – but sometimes this may be suppressed, and passive-aggression can be extremely difficult to manage if it isn’t identified and understood; or as negativity – a “no” default response. For some there are issues of power and control; but for others there may be genuine ambivalence and inability to make decisions.
Intolerance of others’ views may be a manifestation of a “high-conflict” personality, already mentioned, but that isn’t necessarily the case; and while in many cases it may be ideological, it may apply to a wide range of other kinds of personal views.
In all these cases, professionals will benefit from being able to identify what they are encountering and to have some strategies to help them deal with these situations.
