INTERPERSONAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION : PRIMARY AND SECONDARY CONTROL AS A MEASURE ACROSS CULTURES

Abstract

Research on primary-secondary control across cultures have focused on the influence of cultural collectivism on the preference for the different forms of control. The present study draws a distinction between one's control orientations and the actual use of control strategies across different situations. The study explores how American/Canadian (individualists) and Chinese (collectivists) students (age ranges from 16 to 18 years) use primary-secondary control in the context of an interpersonal conflict. Specifically, the emipirical investigation was aimed at identifying the relationships between (1) different conflict partners; and (2) different resolution goals, and the different measures of primary-secondary control across the two cultural groups. Both absolute and relative measures of the two forms of control were included in the study. The present study has found that compared to the American/Canadian sample, the Chinese sample used more primary and secondary control, as well as placed more emphasis on the use of primary control in response to an interpersonl conflict. The Chinese were also found to use more primary control with conflict partners of higher status and those whom were considered more intimate. No significant variation in the use of primary-secondary control was found in the American/Canadian sample. With respect to resolution goals, no differences were found in both cultures' importance ratings of the goal to express one's views and opinions on the conflict issue The importance of this goal was positively correlated with the use of primary control and the percentage use of primary control across both cultures. The Chinese rated the goal of minimising conflicts higher than the Americans/Canadians. This goal was also positively related to the use of primary control in both cultures. The findings of the present study support the usefulness of studying cross-situational variations in the use of primary-secondary control across cultures and emphasizes the need to consider the use of both forms of control in a culture despite its control orientations. Based on the interpersonal conflict resolution context, the present study identified a need to re-conceptualise primary control into its direct and indirect forms to allow for a more comprehensive study of the influence of various situational factors on the use of primary-secondary control in this area, as well as more a clearer association between possible outcome goals and the control strategies used.