Conflict, anger, and communication

Abstract

This study examines how anger and conflict affect the perception of conflict, the level of felt anger, and their associated communication and relational behaviors in interaction. Hypotheses were tested regarding whether defining a situation as involving conflict or anger was associated with greater levels of felt anger or perceived conflict; whether conflict duration caused a greater association between level of perceived conflict and felt anger; whether conflict or anger situations were associated with the degree to which confronting and avoiding the other party was considered important; whether conflict or anger situations caused a change in relational closeness between interactional parties; and whether conflict or anger situations were associated with the importance of third-party communication prior to and following the interaction. Participants (N = 122) described interactions that they defined as involving conflict, anger, both conflict and anger, or neither conflict nor anger. Results showed significant differences in perceived conflict, felt anger, relational closeness, and type of communication associated with the type of situation that participants described. Based on the results, an exploratory structural equation model was created and tested that related situations of conflict and anger with their associated perceptions and outcomes. The model was a plausible representation and summary of the relationships found and reveals some non-obvious ways in which conflict and anger affect interactional dynamics.