Individual Differences
Several individual difference factors can potentially affect the way in which people manage conflict, including narcissism, attachment style, neuroticism, agreeableness, and so forth (Canary & Lakey, 2013).
Here, we emphasize locus of control. Given our objective to provide information for the mindful management of conflict, locus of control appears to be one individual difference that can be most readily learned (as opposed to, e.g., attachment styles).Locus of control refers to the extent that people take responsibility for their own successes and failures (Lefcourt, 1982). People who believe that their outcomes are due to their ability and effort have an internal locus of control, whereas people who see their outcomes as due to chance or powerful others have an external locus of control (Canary, Cunningham, & Cody, 1988). Recent applications of this construct have been domain specific—that is, germane to particular domains of life, such as health, politics, and even relationships. Conflict locus of control refers to people’s internal and external beliefs regarding the outcomes of conflict. Individuals who hold an internal orientation toward their interpersonal conflict are more likely to use direct and cooperative conflict behaviors, whereas people who adopt an external orientation toward their conflicts more likely engage in direct and negative tactics or avoidance (Canary et al., 1988; Caughlin & Vangelisti, 2000).
In a similar manner, Doherty (1981) argued that efficacy concerns the extent to which people ascertain they successfully manage their interpersonal problems. Fincham and Bradbury (1987) used Doherty’s (1981) notion of efficacy to explain attributions of conflict causes. Fincham and Bradbury (1987) found that people’s efficacy was negatively related to beliefs that their partner was responsible for conflict, and efficacy was negatively associated with perceived stability of conflict.
The implication of this research is that people need to have greater faith in their efforts.
In other words, people should exercise personal control by adhering to the belief that conflict can be managed in ways that bring about positive outcomes. First, individuals need to recognize his or her personal role and responsibility in the process. Admitting that they have a hand in the cause of the conflict empowers people to change the paths of the conflict. Blaming other people and acting the victim reflect a lack of personal control. Mindful behavior helps people consider more information and additional ideas related to the cause of the conflict by identifying new categories; mindless behavior causes people to remain focused on a single and simple cause (Langer, 1989a). Second, people should be mindful of behaviors that can be used for productive outcomes, and we discuss these below (see Message Production section). In brief, they engage in problem solving, information exchange, and other cooperative and direct behaviors. Active processing of information and cognitive differentiation (Langer, 1989a, 1989b) will help people because they will gain new information and options. By thinking more mindfully about what to do, people explore options beyond their first response and often develop more effective approaches to a conflict. Finally, people need to remind themselves throughout the process that their own outcomes are determined largely by their own abilities and actions. Believing that one can negotiate with a high probability of success is a critically important component in managing conflict effectively and appropriately.