Resolving Dominance Contests/Daily Practice: Resolving Dominance Contests

A 1902 illustration showing Alexander Hamilton fighting his fatal duel with Vice President Aaron Burr, July 1804

Here’s a “Resolving Dominance Contests” Daily Practice Checklist, drawn directly from the Resolving Dominance Contests module on Wikiversity.[1] It’s designed to help you stay grounded, preserve relationships, and de-escalate power struggles with grace and wisdom.

1. Morning — Prepare Your Mindset

  • Set your intention: Remind yourself that dominance contests are typically one-dimensional and misleading tests of worth. Great value lies beyond power struggles.
  • Acknowledge our multidimensional strengths: Reflect on qualities like empathy, intellect, creativity, and integrity—dimensions that surpass winning or losing a power contest.

2. Midday — Observe & Respond Thoughtfully

A. Spot Dominance Contest Triggers

  • Identify situations where a power dynamic emerges—this might include interruptions, refusing to yield, public one-upmanship, or dismissive behavior.
  • When you observe such behavior (either in yourself or others), pause and note:
    • Who is the challenger?
    • Who is the challenged?
    • What’s being tested or won?

B. Create Alternatives Instead of Escalating

  • Rather than entering the contest, offer options that de-escalate:
    • Diffuse tension by redirecting discussion, reframing the issue, or postponing a confrontation.
    • Calm your mind: breathe deeply, think strategically—not reactively.
  • If you’re targeted, consider:
    • Moving physically to change context.
    • Humanizing the challenger by emphasizing shared values or concerns.
    • Cooling the atmosphere before revisiting the discussion more constructively.

3. Afternoon — Reflect, Redirect, Reframe

  • Reflect on any power dynamics you've witnessed or been part of today:
    • How did you and others behave?
    • Did anyone regain composure by avoiding escalation?
  • If you faced a moment that could have turned into a dominance contest:
    • What alternative paths did you take—or could you have taken—to preserve respect and collaboration?

4. Evening — Reflect & Integrate Learnings

Use these prompts to close the day:

Reflection Prompt Reflection
Did I notice or avoid a power struggle today?
How did I or someone else gently disengage from a dominance test?
What constructive alternatives worked—or could work better?
What will I focus on doing differently tomorrow to honor dignity and defuse conflict?
  1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this text responding to the prompt: “Generate an ‘resolving dominance contests’ daily practice checklist based on the materials at: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Resolving_Dominance_Contests”.
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