Little is known about social cognition regarding conflict in romantic relationships during late adolescence. The current study examined beliefs, social goals, and behavioral strategies for conflict in romantic relationships and their associations with relationship quality among a sample of 494 college students. Two dimensions of conflict beliefs,…

A study investigated whether various measures of communication competence would be more positively associated with constructive message strategies than with either destructive or avoidance strategies, and whether individuals would prefer a partner to be constructive rather than being constructive themselves. Subjects were 114 college students who…

Explored whether college students' reported participation in one of four theoretically distinct family alignments (noncoalition, mother-coalition, father-coalition, triangulation) was differentially related to their scores on multidimensional measure of college adjustment. Results from 815 college students suggest that students' academic and…

This study investigated the relationship between scores on the Defense Mechanisms Inventory and reaction to an experimental conflict situation in which Ss (85 undergraduate college students) were led to believe that their performance was deficient on a new test of scholastic ability. The pattern of defenses predicted residual posttest estimates of…

This paper tries to demonstrate the existence of social norms against self-evaluations that are more favorable than people deserve (over-evaluation of self) and evaluations of others that are less favorable than others deserve (under-evaluation of others). The norms are derived from a resource theory in which these norms are needed to protect…

The contemporary movement toward examination of one's life script gives rise to a program designed to help men think through the issues of masculine conditioning and to prepare themselves for more satisfying male roles. (Author)

Avoidance strategies involve the tactics and techniques people use when they don't wish to be influenced by others. To investigate the types of avoidance strategies men and women use to deal with an unwelcome persuasion attempt from an intimate partner, undergraduates wrote essays describing how they avoided such attempts. A 24-strategy coding…

Observes the failure of law schools to teach students how to cope with the professional stress induced by complicated conflicts of interest. Describes resulting insensitivity and unawareness which can lead to unprofessional and unethical behavior. Suggests how schools and graduates can help alleviate the syndrome. (JT)

The conflict theory of decision making was examined by testing a conflict model which differentiated among three basic coping patterns in response to decisional conflict, i.e., defensive avoidance, panic, and vigilance. Male college students (N=53) were administered two decisional problems, "The Changing Work Procedures Case" and…

Personal dispositional variables conflicting with social pressure and the resulting behavior, which follows a cusp catastrophe, were investigated. Female undergraduates (N=200) completed a set of attitude questionnaires using a Crutchfield console. Results indicate that: (1) when social pressure is low, behavior is a smooth, monotonic function of…

The validity of an automated experimental system incorporating a computer mediator for resolving conflicting requests to speak among four-member problem-solving teams was assessed. Learning how to use problem-solving strategies was affected by this new method for facilitating participation in dialogue. Strategy learning among shy and assertive…

Factors which mediate the life decisions of college men and women were examined. Undergraduates (N=107) completed questionnaires about career and family plans, notions of success and failure, integration of two potentially conflicting roles, and the relationship between personal values, life goals, and choices. Results indicated that: (1) women…

Because people are separate individuals, interpersonal conflict is inevitable. Social psychologists have studied this area by examining styles of conflict resolution such as negotiation/bargaining. Counseling psychologists have attempted to address these concerns through assertiveness and aspects of parenting training. However, no specific model…

Social psychologists have studied interpersonal conflict by examining styles of conflict resolution such as negotiation/bargaining. Counseling psychologists have attempted to address these concerns through assertiveness and aspects of parenting training. In a previous study, a three-component confrontation model--specified behavior, emotional…