How to maintain relationships when you have opposing views on COVID-19 mandates
CBC
As the pandemic drags on, now more than ever people are facing tough conversations with loved ones who don't share the same views on COVID-19 restrictions and mandates.
The anti-vaccine mandate protest in Ottawa has appeared to polarize people across the country, with strong emotions attached to each side of the debate.
So how do you maintain relationships when you don't see eye-to-eye with your friends or family?
It starts with mutual respect and civility, said Halifax-based registered psychologist Dr. Simon Sherry.
"I think people struggle with being empathic when they encounter someone who has an opposing view, and they'd be better off if they were curious and patient as opposed to argumentative and confrontational," Sherry said in a recent interview.
"I think we need to learn to tolerate and accept that differing views are a healthy part of public discourse, and competing ideas are a core aspect of scientific progress."
Sherry, who is also a professor in the psychology and neuroscience department at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said there is no doubt the pandemic has been corrosive to social relationships.
He recommended trying to approach each conversation with patience and a willingness to explore different perspectives.
"Without that tolerance and acceptance, we tend to lapse into incivility and argument, and a lot of the argument is not governed by scientific thinking or logical analysis," said Sherry.
"It's an ad hominem argument which comes down to a bunch of name-calling."
He also noted that some people's opinions and arguments are ingrained in their identity, and so it's important to realize that it would be difficult during a five-minute conversation, for example, to shift their identity and school of thought.
Sherry said this is especially true for so-called "science deniers." He said while it's fine to push back, at a certain point you may realize it is not going to be a constructive conversation.
"Someone who has that investment in these ideas is not going to quickly relinquish their position, if at all," said Sherry.
These conversations can be especially problematic because scientific facts are not self-interpreting, he said.
