Multifunctional Coding of Conflict Resolution Strategies in Marital Dyads

This paper outlines conceptual distinction among avoidance, cooperation and competitive conflict resolution strategies used by marital partners. The discussion centers on avoidance which is viewed as a multifunctional communication strategy capable of operating either pro-socially or anti-socially in a given marital conflict. Forty-three couples were audiotaped as they discussed issues in which they had previously indicated significant disagreements. Couples were grouped based on how they define the relationship and their communication behavior was analyzed. Results indicated that the temporal aspects of speech, including turn-taking and interruptions, need to be considered in the study of couple conflict resolution.