Exploring Young Adult Conflict Management Skill Development

33 Introduction . 34 Conflict Management Skills: Family Influences . 34 Young Adult Conflict Management v Conflict Management Skills: Individual Factors/Influences . 36 Young Adult Conflict Management . ; . 3 7 The Current Study . 3 9 Method . 40 Research Design . 40 Participants . 40 Materials and Procedures . 40 Data Analysis . 41 Ethics . 42 Findings and Interpretations . ~ . 42 Identity Formation . 43 Maturity . 44 Change offocus . 44 Self-identity . 45 Family Systems . 46 Parent-child conflict. 47 Marital conflict . 48 Family support . 49 Conflict Situation Characteristics . 50 Conflict opponent. 50 Prior experience . 51 Maintain emotional control. 52 Conflict topic/goal. 53 Conclusion . 54 Limitations of the Study . 55 Young Adult Conflict Management vi Implications . 55 Future Research . 56 References . 57 Appendix A: Participant Information Letter . 61 Appendix B: Informed Consent Form . 62 Appendix C: Demographic Information . 63 Appendix D: Interview Schedule . 64 Appendix E: Referral Agencies . 65 Guidelines for Contributions by Authors . 66 Young Adult.Conflict Management 1 CONFLICT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT AND YOUNG ADULTS Conflict Management Skill Development andY oung Adults: Identifying Theories, Influences and Developmental Pathways Pauline Z Marcoux Young Adult Conflict Management 2 Conflict Management Skill Development and Young Adults: Identifying Theories, Influences and Developmental Pathways Abstract This paper explores conflict management skill development of young adults. Although conflict management is a life-span issue, conflict management skills are of particular importance to young adults as they develop their identity and explore romantic relationships. The study of conflict management skills is complex and is underpinned by different theoretical approaches. These complexities and theories are presented. Findings from childhood to young adulthood are reviewed and summarised. Marital conflict, parent-child interactions, family-of-origin characteristics aild attachment orientation are all factors that influence the development of conflict management skills. The family-of-origin characteristics seem to provide the most meaningful results in relation to young adults in romantic relationships. Additional research is still required to identify specific pathways of conflict management skill development. Author: Pauline Marcoux Supervisors: Dr. Elizabeth Kazmarek & Dr. Deirdre Drake Submitted: August, 2008 Young Adult Conflict Management 3 Conflict Management Skill Development andY oung Adults: Identifying Theories, Influences and Developmental Pathways Introduction Young adulthood is a critical time for making some life-long decisions, one of which is entering into a romantic relationship (Arnett, 2000; Rutter, 1989). The development of a romantic relationship is partly determined by how conflict within the relationship is managed (Reese-Weber & Bertie-Haring, 1998). If conflict is resolved, it can contribute to relationship growth (Adler & Rodman, 2006; Goeke-Morey, Cummings, & Papp, 2007; Selman, 1980). Likewise, if conflict is managed poorly, it can damage a relationship (Adler & Rodman, 2006; O'Leary, 1988). It is therefore necessary to understand how individuals develop their conflict management skills. If developmental pathways can be understood, psychologists will be in a better position to assist young adults in understanding and developing effective conflict management skills prior to committing to long-term romantic relationships. This paper reviews the psychological literature on conflict management development, with a specific focus on young adults. The purpose is to understand how a young adult develops their own conflict management skills before entering into or during the early stages of an enduring relationship. Part of this review is informed by studies pertaining to children and adolescent conflict management skill development as these skills relate to life-course development. This area of research is broad in that conflict management skill development is a life course issue. As such, there are many different approaches and influences included in the research, which makes an overall review of the research problematic. Therefore, this review has been presented in two sections. The first section considers why young adulthood is a critical time for understanding conflict management and then discusses the general issues, Young Adult Conflict Management 4 complexities, and theory associated with the study of conflict management. The second section presents the findings of the conflict management literature. Issues Surrounding the Study of Young Adult Conflict Management Skill Development Young Adult Development and Conflict Management Conflict management skills, although required throughout the life span, are particularly critical to young adults, because of the life-course decisions being made by them. Starting in adolescence and continuing into young adulthood, individuals are creating their identity and exploring romantic relationships (Arnett, 2000). These are two vital developmental processes that can be influenced by the way an individual manages conflict. For example, a person who is aggressive in most daily conflicts will likely be seen as having an aggressive identity and, thus, may have difficulty finding a romantic partner. Erikson's (1968) social development framework describes the importance of these two developmental processes and how they are connected. According to Erikson (1968), adolescence (1218 years) is characterised by an identity crisis, while young adulthood is characterised by an intimacy versus isolation conflict. A cutoff between these two stages is not clear, nor does Erikson commit an age group to young adulthood, because the negotiation of the intimacy versus isolation conflict depends on the success of the individual's identity formation. According to Erikson, a relationship is successful if the individual parties in the relationship are able to maintain their own individual identities and form a new identity as partners. The inability to form a successful intimate relationship can have two developmental consequences for an individual (Erikson, 1968). First, if a relationship is not formed, the individual runs the risk of being isolated from psychological intimacy. Second, if the individual cannot maintain his/her own identity in conjunction with the new relationship identity, a person's sense of self may be lost. The processes of identity and relationship Young Adult Conflict Management 5 formations are, thus, entwined. It is this developmental aspect of young adults dealing with identity and relationship formation that holds potential for understanding conflict management skill development at this time in the life span. Conflict Management Research Issues, Complexities and Theories Conflict management skill development is a life span issue and it is believed that the development of these skills begins in early childhood (Cowan & Cowan, 2002; Robi