|  OCT 1988

Dealing with conflict by Van K. Tharp, Ph.D.

Dealing with conflict by Van K. Tharp, Ph.D. Emotional conflict is one of the most significant problems that most traders (or people) have to deal with in their lives. Yet explaining what it is or how it occurs is not easy. What follows is an interview with a trader who went through a major improvement in his trading and life as a result of conflict resolution. Although the exercise had taken place almost five months prior to this interview, when he actually described the conflict he relived it again. As a result, I've made few notes about his language patterns and this behavior to illustrate what was going on during the narration. Most of what happens is self-explanatory, so I have kept my comments to a minimum. This trader's experience illustrates common symptoms of conflicts, the nature of the conflict, the resolution of the conflict and the dramatic results of that resolution. The trader agreed to do this interview because he wanted to help other traders understand themselves better. In addition, he also believes that some of the insights he gained after going through the process are important to share with fellow traders. For the reasons alluded to in the narration, he wishes to remain anonymous. I am extremely grateful to him for this contribution.

by Van K. Tharp, Ph.D.