“If you hit me again, I'll hit you back:” Conflict management strategies of individuals experiencing aggression during conflicts

Loreen N. Olson, Dawn O. Braithwaite

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

In interpersonal relationships characterized by aggression, the negotiation of conflict is especially significant. The present study examined the conflict management strategies used by 31 individuals who had experienced verbal and/or physical aggression during conflicts with their partners. Sillars’ (1986) conflict tactics coding system was used as a framework to analyze 960 pages of transcribed data. The results of this deductive content analysis indicated that the participants reported using primarily Distributive conflict strategies. Analytic induction was also used to interpret nonverbal forms of conflict management, revealing three common tactics: crying, nonverbal avoidance, and aggression. Implications for using these conflict strategies in interpersonal relationships characterized by aggression are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)271-285
Number of pages15
JournalCommunication Studies
Volume55
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2004

Keywords

  • conflict management
  • interpersonal aggression
  • nonverbal conflict tactics
  • verbal conflict tactics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Communication

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