Dealing with interpersonal conflict

Interactions with labmates, classmates, advisors, and mentors will shape much of your time at MIT. Romantic relationships, friendships, and family relationships can be at times a source of strength, stability, and happiness, and at others a source of stress and anxiety. How can you build positive relationships, find healthy ways to cope with stressful interactions, and resolve conflicts? There are also several resources on campus that can help you manage difficult interpersonal interactions, either directly or by equipping you to deal with the issue more productively.

  • Graduate Personal Support in the Office of the Dean provide advice and counsel on a variety of issues including faculty/student relationships, conflict negotiation and interpersonal concerns.
  • The MIT Ombuds Office helps people express concerns, resolve disputes, manage conflicts, and learn more productive ways of communicating. It is a resource for faculty, staff, students and post-docs. The Ombuds Office is independent, neutral, informal, and confidential.
  • Conflict Management@MIT offers consultations about difficult conversations and ways to handle a dispute or conflict. Conflict Management also offers formal mediation and facilitation services.
  • Office of Student Citizenship
    If you believe that a student (graduate or undergraduate) has violated MIT’s policies or general expectations of appropriate conduct, the Office of Student Citizenship promotes community standards of behavior and uses MIT’s student discipline process to respond to complaints.