Conflict Styles and Using Secret Tests
Conflict styles influence how a person solves problems in his or her relationships. There are five common Conflict Styles: Accommodation, avoidance, competitive/aggressive, compromise and collaborative (Thomas, 1976). When uncertainty over a romantic partner’s commitment to the relationship arises, this could be a potential problem area in which a person’s conflict style makes a difference as to how he or she reduces uncertainty and solves this issue. Often, individuals who have an avoidant conflict style don’t like discussing problems directly with their relational partners, because they experience communication apprehension (Thomas, 1976). Thus, it’s plausible that these individuals may employ Secret Tests to reduce the uncertainty they feel towards their partner’s commitment to the relationship. There are seven common strategies: asking-third-party tests; directness tests; triangle tests; separation tests; endurance tests; public presentation tests; and indirect suggestion tests. The present study seeks to determine the following: 1) If a person has a predominately non-confrontational (passive) approach to conflict, then he or she will use indirect secret tests; and 2) If a person has a predominately solution-oriented (assertive) or controlling (aggressive) approach to conflict, then he or she will not use indirect secret tests.
COMM 499, Capstone
Doyle Srader
P003
10:30 – 11 AM
Return to schedule