Interracial Couples’ Conflict Styles on Educational Issues

Abstract

This study reports results of a quantitative survey of interracial couples’ conflict styles on one specific issue—education. Interracial couples answered a slightly revised version of Putnam-Wilson's Organizational Communication Conflict Instrument to assess conflict styles in dealing with education. The paper has three research questions: Do men and women score differently on self-reported use of conflict styles when dealing with educational issues? Does age or race predict self-reported conflict style for husbands when they deal with educational issues? and Does age or race predict self-reported conflict style for wives dealing with educational issues? A difference on control emerged between husbands and wives, with the latter showing more control-oriented behavior compared to the former. Wives’ age and race were not related to control, non-confrontation, or solution. Husbands who are Asian or Latino were more likely to exercise control. Older husbands’ responses reflected that they were more likely to display solution-oriented behaviors over control-oriented ones.

Keywords:

• Interracial Couples
• Conflict Style
• Cultural Contracts Theory
• Education

Notes

Note

[1] Individualists tend to rely on and focus on self, while collectivists tend to prioritize the group. Individualists, therefore, tend to make decisions based on the individual, while collectivists are primarily motivated by what is good for the group.