Brazilians tend to avoid direct, head-to-head confrontation in conflicts. Confrontation is seen as likely to escalate rather than resolve things, to harden positions rather than find accommodation, and to damage relationships rather than preserve them. Instead of direct confrontation, Brazilians use indirect approaches: raising issues obliquely, communicating through intermediaries, waiting for issues to resolve themselves, accommodating rather than challenging, addressing problems through institutional processes rather than personal showdown.
This does not mean conflicts are ignored—it means they are addressed through less direct paths. If you need to raise a difficult issue with a Brazilian, consider indirect approaches: framing challenges as questions, using mutual contacts to communicate, or giving time for circumstances to shift. Direct confrontation may feel honest to you but will likely feel aggressive or damaging to them.
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