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Value Differences and Conflict Styles

 

Another way to understand cultural variations in intercultural conflict resolution is to look at how cultural values influence conflict management. Cultural values in individualist societies differ from those in collectivist societies. Individualism places greater importance on the individual rather than on groups like the family or professional work groups. Individualism is often cited as the most important of European American values and is seen in the autonomy and independence encouraged in children. For example, children in the United States are often encouraged to leave home after age 18, and older parents often prefer to live on their own rather than with their children. In contrast to individualism, people from collectivist societies often emphasize extended families and loyalty to groups. Although these values have been related to national differences, they also may be true for other groups. For example, European Americans may value individualism more than Latinos, and women may value collectivism more than men.

These contrasting value differences may influence communication patterns. Several studies have established that people from individualist societies tend to be more concerned with saving their own self-esteem during conflict; tend to be more direct in their communication; and tend to use more controlling, confrontational, and solution-oriented conflict styles. In contrast, people from collectivist societies tend to be more concerned with preserving group harmony and with saving the other person's dignity during conflict. They may use a less direct conversational style and may use avoiding and obliging conflict styles instead. However, the particular way that one chooses to deal with conflict in any situation depends on the type of conflict and the re­lationship one has with the other person.

A study of Japanese college students showed that they tended to use avoiding style more often with acquaintances than with best friends in some types of conflicts (conflicts of values and opinions). In contrast, they used integrating conflict styles more with best friends than with acquaintances. In interest conflicts, they used a dominating style more with acquaintances than with best friends.

This suggests that with outgroup members, like acquaintances, where harmony is not as important, Japanese use dominating or avoiding styles (depending on the conflict type). However, with ingroup members like best friends, the way to maintain harmony is to work through the conflict with an integrating style. [to be continued in Lecture Eleven]

 

 

SUMMARY

 

- Various approaches to understanding conflict have been taken. First, it was emphasized that intercultural conflict may be characterized by various dialectics, ambiguity, language issues, and combinations of conflict styles.

- There were outlined two very different cultural orientations to conflict: conflict as opportunity and conflict as destructive.

- There were applied three approaches to understanding conflict. The interpersonal approach focuses on cultural differences, types of conflict (affective conflict, conflict of interest, value conflict, cognitive conflict, and goal conflict), and conflict styles (dominating, integrating, compromising, obliging, and avoiding).

- The choice of conflict style depends on cultural background as well as gender and ethnicity. For example, people from individualist cultures may tend to use dominating styles, whereas people from collectivist cultures may prefer more integrating, obliging, and avoiding styles. However, the type of conflict and the relationship the disputants have will mediate these tendencies.

 

 

s DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND IDEAS

 

What sources of conflict do you know?

On what levels do conflicts happen?

Why is understanding cultural conflict important?

What are the characteristics of intercultural conflict?

How does the "conflict as opportunity" orientation differ from the "conflict as destructive" orientation?

Why is it important to understand the context in which an intercultural conflict occurs?

What types of conflict have been the subject of study?

Comment on the styles of managing conflicts.

 

REFERENCES

Augsburger, D.Conflict Mediation Across Cultures. – Louisville, KY: Westmister / John Knox Press, 1992.

Cupach, W. R. & Canary, D. J.Competence in Interpersonal Conflict. – New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Delgado, F.Mass-Mediated Communication and Intercultural Conflict. In: Martin, J. N., Nakayama, T. K., & Flores, L. A (Eds.). Readings in Cultural Contexts. – Mountain, CA: Mayfield, 1998, pp. 442 – 449.

Filley, A. C. Interpersonal Conflict Resolution. – Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1975.

Folger, J. P., Poole, M. S., & Stutman, R. K. Working Through Conflict: Strategies for Relationships, Groups, and Organizations, 2nd ed. – New York: HarperCollins, 1993.

Hocker, J. L. & Wilmot, W. W. Interpersonal Conflict, 5th ed. - New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998.

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, Th. K. Intercultural Communication in Contexts, 2nd ed. – Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Co., 2000.

Rahim, M. A. Managing Conflict in Organizations. – New York: Praeger, 1986.

Speicher, B. L. Interethnic Conflict: Attribution and Cultural Ignorance. – Howard Journal of Communication. No. 5, 1994, pp. 195 – 213.

Ting-Toomey, S. Intercultural Conflict Competence. In: Cupach, W. R. & Canary, D. J.Competence in Interpersonal Conflict. – New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp. 120 – 147.

Wood, J. T. Gendered Lives: Communication, Gender, and Culture. – Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1994.


LECTURE ELEVEN

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