Multiple goals in conflict resolution

Their antecedents and effects upon tactical preference

Abstract

The multiple goals theory of conflict management (Ohbuchi & Tedeschi, in press) postulated that participants in a conflict pursue to achieve resource goals (economic and personal resources) and social goals (relationship, identity, justice, and power-hostility). The hypotheses based on this theory were examined by the episode method, in which 207 university students were asked to rate their recent experiences of interpersonal conflicts in terms of participants' attributes, goals, and tactics. More than 80% of the subjects answered that they were motivated to achieve multiple goals in their attempts to resolve the conflicts. Social goals were found to be more strongly activated, and economic resource goals were least strongly activated. Regression analyses revealed that the effects of participants' attributes on tactical preference were mediated by goals.