Abstract
This study examined conflict resolution styles across marriages, dating and engaged relationships, and friendships, with the expectation that people in each type of relationship will utilize different conflict strategies. It also explored the relationships among spiritual disclosure, conflict strategies, and spiritual meaning. Sixty-seven college students were recruited as couples, including 29 men and 38 women, each in either a marriage, dating/engaged relationship, or friendship, with a mean age of 20.94. Each participant was asked to complete a Spiritual Meaning Scale (Mascaro et al., 2004), a Spiritual Intimacy Scale (Mahoney et al., 2020), and the conflict frequency and conflict strategies subsections of the Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scales (Kerig, 1996). The results from three One-way ANOVAs failed to support the hypothesis that there would be differences in conflict strategies across various relationship. There was a significant Pearson product-moment correlation between spiritual disclosure and collaboration strategies (r(63), = .49, p< .001), but no correlations were found between spiritual disclosure and conflict frequency, and spiritual disclosure and spiritual meaning. The results of this research indicate that all types of relationships can utilize constructive or destructive conflict strategies. It also implies that spiritual intimacy and collaboration tend to be present together. Future researchers should study this relationship for causality to develop resources to help all relationships experience more intimate and healthy interactions.
Included in
Conflict Strategies, Spiritual Meaning, and Spiritual Disclosure Across Various Relationships
This study examined conflict resolution styles across marriages, dating and engaged relationships, and friendships, with the expectation that people in each type of relationship will utilize different conflict strategies. It also explored the relationships among spiritual disclosure, conflict strategies, and spiritual meaning. Sixty-seven college students were recruited as couples, including 29 men and 38 women, each in either a marriage, dating/engaged relationship, or friendship, with a mean age of 20.94. Each participant was asked to complete a Spiritual Meaning Scale (Mascaro et al., 2004), a Spiritual Intimacy Scale (Mahoney et al., 2020), and the conflict frequency and conflict strategies subsections of the Conflicts and Problem-Solving Scales (Kerig, 1996). The results from three One-way ANOVAs failed to support the hypothesis that there would be differences in conflict strategies across various relationship. There was a significant Pearson product-moment correlation between spiritual disclosure and collaboration strategies (r(63), = .49, p< .001), but no correlations were found between spiritual disclosure and conflict frequency, and spiritual disclosure and spiritual meaning. The results of this research indicate that all types of relationships can utilize constructive or destructive conflict strategies. It also implies that spiritual intimacy and collaboration tend to be present together. Future researchers should study this relationship for causality to develop resources to help all relationships experience more intimate and healthy interactions.