How to deal with a stubborn person and how to spot him before he even speaks

By M.Farouk Radwan, MSc.

A Stubborn Guy's Story

While Karim was working hard on an assignment that should be handed in 2 days he got a call from one of his friends on his cell phone. As he was really busy he decided not to answer now and call his friend back in ten or fifteen minutes.

A moment later Karim’s mobile started ringing again: it was the same friend calling. Karim didn’t reply for the second time too. When his friend called for the third time, Karim switched his cell phone off without replying and decided not to answer anyone else for the rest of the day!!!

Although Karim finished the assignment 10 minutes later he decided to keep his phone switched off not to allow anyone to call him!!! But didn't he intend to call his friend after he finishes his assignment? Even though that was true in the beginning his friend's insistence on calling him triggered his stubbornness and so he decided not to answer calls for the entire day!!

Stubbornness: Definition

A stubborn person is someone who refuses to change his mind about an idea or an action that he is about to take. The stubborn person also refuses to give a clear explanation or reason for his resistance.

The moral of the above story is to show you that a stubborn person may not always be stubborn but that there are things that could trigger his stubbornness and so force him to resist while refusing to even consider listening to others.

Why Are Some People Stubborn?

While the following reasons can possibly make someone behave stubbornly in certain situations still there are also people who are stubborn by nature and who would resist change regardless of the situation.

  • Defending his idea: Some people think that if people didn't agree with them then they become unimportant!! Those people identify themselves with their ideas and so feel that their identity is threatened when people don't believe them
  • Feeling that people are taking his opinion for granted: Some people tend to think that others take their opinion for granted and so they try to hold on to opposing opinions just to force others to pay attention to their opinion even if they were convinced that they are not right.
  • Having a reason that he can't reveal: Sometimes a stubborn person may have a strong reason for refusing to change his mind but out of shyness or any other compelling reason the person decides to hide his reasons

How to Spot a Stubborn Person

Stubborn people can really cut off all means of negotiation and that’s why knowing if a person is stubborn or not before talking to him can be very useful.

Fortunately, with face-reading you can determine, with a reasonable degree of accuracy, if a person is stubborn just by examining a few of his facial features. (see the face reading section for more information).

How to sustain your relationship with a stubborn person

in my book How to make someone fall in love with you i mentioned a technique called "triggering stubbornness" which can help you sustain your relationship with your stubborn partner.

If you were in a relationship with a stubborn person then by just triggering his stubbornness you can motivate him to love you more. By just telling him that people think that your relationship will end soon he will do his best to prove them wrong and so he will love you more.

How to Deal With a Stubborn Person

Here are a few guidelines for dealing with stubborn people:

  • Don’t keep pushing or insisting on your opinion and be flexible. As you saw in the above story being pushy may result in a counter-productive effect.
  • Try to understand the reason behind that person’s stubbornness and encourage him to speak honestly because after all, he may have a point.
  • Every now and then make him feel that you are taking his opinions into consideration.

Everyone hates how stubborn people refuse to give up their ideas or intentions. If you are a stubborn person then try to provide a convincing reason for refusing to change your mind and if you can't then admit that you were wrong.

2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor it’s a boring online encyclopedia but it’s a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is presented in a simple and obvious way. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.The book How to make someone fall in love with you was released by 2knowmyself.com; the book will dramatically increase your chance of letting someone fall in love with you.

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