Dialectic behavior is behavior based on dialogue between opposing or contrasting ideas, where each side is examined to reach a clearer or more developed understanding.
For example, instead of simply insisting, “I’m right,” dialectical behavior might be:
“I think this is true, but I can see the argument for the opposite. How can both perspectives inform what’s actually going on?”
Dialectic comes from Greek dialektikē, relating to discussion or the art of reasoning through dialogue.
In everyday usage, dialectical thinking/behavior often means being able to hold apparently contradictory ideas at once, such as: “I accept the situation as it is, and I also want to change it.”