Self-construal types and conflict management styles
Titel:
Self-construal types and conflict management styles
Auteur:
Ting-Toomey, Stella Oetzel, John G. Yee-Jung, Kimberlie
Verschenen in:
Communication reports
Paginering:
Jaargang 14 (2001) nr. 2 pagina's 87-104
Jaar:
2001
Inhoud:
The purpose of the current study was to explore the effects of ethnic background, sex, and self-construal types on conflict styles among African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, and Latina(o) Americans. Self-construal, or self-image, is composed of two aspects: an independent self and an interdependent self (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, 1994). Four self-construal types result from a combination of the two components of self: biconstrual, independent, interdependent, and ambivalent. It was predicted and found that self-construal provides a better explanation of conflict styles than ethnicity or sex. The participants (N = 662) completed a questionnaire that investigated their self-construals and conflict styles in acquaintance conflicts. The major findings of the study were as follows: (a) biconstruals, independents, and interdependents use integrating and compromising more than ambivalents (as expected); (b) biconstruals use emotional expression more than ambivalents (as expected); (c) biconstruals use dominating more than interdependents and ambivalents (as expected); (d) interdependents and ambivalents use third-party help more than biconstruals and independents; and (e) ambivalents use neglect more than biconstruals, independents, and interdependents; and (0 males use dominating more than females.