ABSTRACT
Interpersonal conflict is an inherent but often dreaded part of close relationships. While everyone is familiar with conflict, how we perceive, manage, and communicate about conflict varies from person to person. Our current relationships are often sources of conflict. However, the ways in which we experience conflict are also influenced by our expectations, our personal histories, what we see in the media, and even by different cultures of conflict. Some of those cultures are shaped by religious, ethnic, regional, or national norms. Some of them are shaped by popular literature about conflict, such as those featured in “self-help” books and various online sites. From these sources, these experiences, and other factors, the thought of conflict conjures up an array of different feelings, some positive and some negative. For example, when asked to provide a metaphor for conflict, some focus on conflict as negative and problematic, likening it to “a war”, “a battle,” “unhealthy,” “a struggle,” “an explosion,” “abusive,” or a “circus” (McCorkle & Mills, 1992). Others view conflict as a positive environment for growth, creativity, and renewal; they describe conflict as “a dance,” “a quilt,” or “a tide” (Wilmot & Hocker, 2014).
