The Relationships Between Japanese Interpersonal Conflict Styles and Their Language Expressions

ABSTRACT

The present study investigated the influence of interpersonal conflict management styles on language expressions and the differences in expressions in same-sex relational categories based on specific in-group-out-group classifications. Questionnaires were administered to 367 university students in Japan. After reading a scenario, participants reported on actual language use and gave ratings on an interpersonal conflict management scale. The results revealed that Japanese change their expressions, along with psychological styles, depending on the relational target. They also indicated psychological constructs were related to their equivalent expressions. The results suggested that future research should take into consideration the potential differences in behavior and interaction posture inherent in various relational and situational categories.

Keywords:

• conflict resolution
• interpersonal conflict
• language
• Japanese
• social interaction

Acknowledgments

Data for this study were collected as part of the first author's master's thesis, which was directed by the second author. An earlier version of this manuscript was presented at the 2006 Japanese Society of Social Psychology annual meeting, Sendai, Japan.

Notes

1. The results of scenario realism, significance, and the degree of conflict were as follows (7-point scales): (1) realism (“this story is likely to happen” and “I feel that I have experienced the incident like this scenario”) (M = 4.41, SD = 1.68); (2) significance (“this story is important” and “this story is insignificant” (reverse item)) (M = 4.29, SD = 1.27); and (3) degree of conflict (“the degree of conflict is large” and “the difference in opinions between you and the other is significant”) (M = 3.78, SD = 1.28).

2. Theoretically, detailed in-group-out-group classifications (Midooka, 1990; Ting-Toomey & Takai, 2006) are categorized into four groups. However, the present study focuses on three groups and excludes muen-no-kankei (“stranger outgroups”). We encouraged participants to imagine conflict behaviors with actual people, rather than to speculate on what they would do when faced with a complete stranger, in contrast to other in-group-out-group research.

3. The sample items included the following: (1) integrating—“We try to understand each other so that we can obtain the best result” and “We strive to come to a conclusion that we both are satisfied with”; (2) avoiding—“I try to ignore the conflict” and “We try not to create differences in opinion with each other”; (3) obliging—“I try to understand the other person's standpoint” and “I behave as the other person wishes”; (4) dominating—“I do everything to insist that my position is accepted” and “I try to obtain the results that are beneficial for myself”; (5) compromising—“I try to negotiate with the other person” and “I try to find a middle course to resolve the conflict.”

4. Because six interpersonal categories included both dimensions of relational closeness (high and low) and social status (equal and high), the perceived relational closeness was affected by the differences in social status, and vice versa. Analyzing the effect of differences in the interpersonal category on perceived social status, relational closeness should be controlled as a covariate. Similarly, in analyzing the effect on perceived relational closeness, the social status should be controlled.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Satoshi Moriizumi

Satoshi Moriizumi is Associate Professor of English Department at Nanzan Junior College, Nagoya, Japan. He is also a doctoral student in the Department of Educational Psychology, Nagoya University, under the guidance of the second author. His research interests include interpersonal conflict management and cross-cultural comparison of interpersonal communication processes. He has published his research in journals such as Intercultural Communication Studies, and Human Communication Studies.

Jiro Takai

Jiro Takai (Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara) is Professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the Department of Educational Psychology, Nagoya University, in Japan. His general research interests are in cross-cultural comparisons of interpersonal communication competence. His specific research interests are aimed at explaining diverse communication styles from a conception-of-self perspective. His publications include articles that have appeared in the International Journal of Intercultural Relations, Communication Monographs, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, and the Japanese Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.