The Real Difference Between A ‘Peacemaker’ And A ‘Peacekeeper’ (And Why It Matters)

When it comes to handling conflict, different people process and understand conflict differently. But one thing is sure, there is that gap of discomfort. Depending on how you tend to process things, that gap can be extended or really short. How you respond/filter your conflicts is a pretty big deal. Here are two popular ways people tend to handle hard situations. There is the option of honestly facing the problem, expressing yourself, and accepting that it is going to get worse before it gets better and then, there is the option of keeping to yourself to maintain the peace, backing down from said situation, repressing your feelings, and hoping that it all blows over. Here are some characteristics that make these two approaches so very different.

3 Characteristics Of A Peacekeeper

1. Peacekeepers seriously do not want to be the cause of discomfort. They tend to view any pain that they initiate as harmful and not beneficial. They can limit their self expression as a result of this subconscious belief system.

2. Peacekeepers tend to keep their issues to themselves in hopes of being seen as someone who doesn’t cause or feed into drama. They prefer to have things build up than to open up every time something bothers or offends them.The passive conflict approach is preferred in this case.

3. Peacekeepers often avoid having to deal with people who are different from themselves in order to limit the amount of “feather ruffling” that goes down. This worldview can be as subtle as it can be severe and is sometime difficult to identify.

3 Characteristics Of A Peacemaker

1. Peacemakers share the perspective that peace must first be disrupted in order to allow for greater peace to enter. They speak up, anticipate discomfort, and hang on because they know that it has to get worst before it gets better.

2. Peacemakers take initiative to create spaces for brave conversations. The understand that real engagement is nothing short of messy.

3. Peacemakers are active about building an environment for peace to be possible. No task, no conversation, and no person is too small in the mind of a peacemaker. They speak up for themselves and allow for others to join the conversation and to do the same.

There may be certain topics of conversation and activism in which you choose to be a peacekeeper and others when you choose to be a peacemaker. But either way, now you know that they are not the same thing.