by David Brown

Created on: September 02, 2011

Contentious people, who are they really? The best way to begin this discussion is to define the word contentious. According to Dictionary.com, Contentious as an adjective means the following: “tending to argument or strife; quarrelsome: a contentious crew.; causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy: contentious issues” and finally in relation to the Law: “pertaining to causes between contending parties.” With this said and written, there are a number of ways to make your approach and deal with such people.

It is certainly not easy to deal with contentious people if you are not used to doing so. You might be a very quiet, reserved person and if you are, then dealing with such people is not going to be an easy task. It can actually turn into a dangerous undertaking and one that can cause feelings to be terribly hurt as well. Contentious people come in the forms of individuals and even in groups. It is certainly not a fun day when you come across a group of contentious people. So, the following would make up some good ideas on how to deal with contentious people.

First, get a good feeling for who it is that you are about to get into a conversation with. Understand the reason for the conversation and then plan your words and your actions carefully. Granted, a meeting with a contentious person or group can be quickly forthcoming, but if you are a calm and collective person, then you might be able to handle the situation and end it quickly before it gets out of hand. Here, the word conversation is used. There are many situations that you might find yourself in when it comes to someone who is argumentative and controversial, yet, such dealings can involve more than just a mere conversation. It can be a sporting event or even a simple fender bender on the roadways.

Second, realize that conversation with a contentious person, trying to bring them to a less-stressful and even keel conversation, can be difficult and know when conversation does not get the job done. This simply means the best way to deal with such a person is to actually turn away and walk away. Understand though, this does not always work and this is where the danger comes in. Such a person could use physical force if they do not get their way. So, probably the best thing to do is to choose your words appropriately and then excuse yourself, keeping a pair of eyes in the back of your head, so-to-speak.

Third, there are many different situations you will find

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