The Inner Experience of

Conflict

Folger, Poole & Stutman

Chapter 2
 Perspectivism and Conflict
Perspectivism:
– we can know no fact without interpretation
– hold no claim independent of belief
– Many ways of viewing a phenomena
 Punctuating a Conflict
We make choices as to what to include
and exclude in our analysis and framing of
conflicts.
 Why Theory?
Theory = an explanation of the relationship
between elements or variables.
– Judge theories by their utility.
– Good theories are useful theories.
 Psychological perspective
How do individuals and groups differ in
their approach to conflict?
What traits best predict communication in
conflict?
How do cognitive processes influence
communication in conflict?
Psychodynamic Perspective
Two powerful energies produced by
conflict
– Aggressive impulse
– Anxiety
 Psychodynamic Perspective
Psychic energy: impulse behind human actions
Aggressive energy:
– Feeling of guilt
– Lack of self-worth
– Frustration (unfulfilled needs)
– produces rigid and inflexible conflict behavior.
 Psychodynamic Perspective
Strategies for coping with aggression:
– Suppression
Channel energy to an alternative
– Displacement
direct energy towards more acceptable target
rather than the real target; scapegoating; weak;
outsider
Cultural displacement; explains some ethnic
conflicts
 Psychodynamic Perspective
Anxiety
– Internal state of tension that arises when people
believe their internal needs will be thwarted.
– Often produces rigid and inflexible conflict behavior.
 Psychodynamic Perspective
Negative emotions:
Anger (rage; disgust; contempt; irritation)
– Caused by threat to ID or face
– Aggression by other on oneself or valued other
– Unfairness or inequity
– Another’s ego-centric behavior
– Threats to valued relationships
 Psychodynamic Perspective
Negative emotions:
fear
– Caused by anticipation of harm

Hurt
– Caused by accusations; lies; betrayal

Guilt
– Caused by feeling of unjustly hurt/failed to help someone
Psychodynamic Perspective
Positive emotions:
Hope
Energy
Psychodynamic Perspective Key
Findings
Explains the roles of impulses in conflict
(aggression and anxiety)
Impulses build-up and can be directed into
other activities (i.e., attacks on third
parties)
 Verbal Aggressiveness
Theory views aggressiveness as a
personality trait that represents a learned
predisposition to act in response to certain
cues.
Argument
– Presenting and defending positions on issues
Verbal Aggression
– Includes attacks on another’s self concept
 Verbal Aggressiveness
Argumentativeness:
– Level is created by
Motivation to approach argumentative situations
(view arguments as exciting and develop skills)
Motivation to avoid such situations (likely to feel
uncomfortable and more likely to use verbal
aggressiveness)
 Verbal Aggressiveness
Argumentative behavior is a positive trait while
verbal aggressiveness is a negative trait.
 Attribution Theory
Two key premises:
– People interpret behavior in terms of its
causes
– These causal explanations affect reactions to
the judged behavior
 Attribution Theory
We attribute the behavior of others to:
– Dispositional factors (internal)
– Situational factors (external)
 Attribution Theory
Attribution biases:
– Fundamental attribution error
The behavior of others is intentional and goal
directed (dispositional)
 Attribution Theory
Attribution biases:
– Individuals defensively attribute actions
resulting in negative consequences to
external consequences (situational factors)
and attribute positive consequences to
themselves (dispositional factors)
Attribution Theory and Conflict
People attribute negative effects of conflict
to partners
People think they use integrative theories
while others use distributive or avoidance
tactics.
Attribution Theory and Conflict
The fundamental attribution error
heightens conflict by encouraging people
to see others’ behavior as planned.
 Attribution Theory
1- People choose conflict resolution
strategies based on the attributions they
make regarding the cause of the conflict.
2- Biases in the process tend to encourage
noncooperative modes of conflict.
3- The choice of conflict strategies influences
the likelihood of conflict resolution and the
degree of satisfaction with the relationship.
 Emotion and Conflict
How emotion shapes conflict?
– Emotions occur in reaction to stimuli.
– Emotions have positive and negative affects
– Physiological changes accompany emotion
– Cognitive processes play a role in shaping
emotions
– Specific reactions are associated with
emotions
Emotions Associated with Conflict
Negative
– Anger
– Fear
– Hurt
– Guilt
Positive
– Hope
– Energy
 Emotional Contagion
Tendency for emotions to spread among
parties in a conflict.
Social Cognition and Conflict
Our thoughts about conflict influence how
we respond to conflicts
– Beliefs about conflict
What are common beliefs about conflict?
Beliefs vary across cultures
– i.e. Associative culture vs abstractive culture (Kozan,
1997)
Social Cognition and Conflict
Conflict Scripts
– “cognitive structure that describes appropriate
sequences of events in an episode.”
What are common scripts? (dining, dating)

Common conflict scripts:

– Conflict is war
– Conflict is impotence
– Conflict is a rational process
Social Cognition and Conflict
Conflict Frames
– “A frame is a cognitive structure based on previous
experience, which guides our interpretation of an
interaction or event.”
– Six Dimensions of Conflict Frames
1. Instrumentality
2. Other assessment
3. Affect
4. Face
5. Affiliation
6. Distributiveness