ABSTRACT
Compromise is an idea that is often, especially recently in the United States, in ill repute. Serious students of social and political polarization endorse strengthening aspects of government that promote compromise. A recent study confronted US, Chinese, and Iranian individuals with narratives that activated core personal values that are resistant to compromise, analyzing brain activity while doing so. For more confrontation, select a controversial issue that doesn’t seem to admit compromise and discuss. Sites aimed toward secondary school students in history and government often contain materials with which historic situations of compromise can be regenerated and, as far as possible, reenacted. Extensive materials for a psychologically based course on dealing with conflict are available on the Beyond Intractability website.
