Relational Conflict and Religion

Clearly, the results of studies on relational conflict that demonstrate a link between reli­gion and relational conflict warrant attention from theorists and practitioners alike.

For the­orists, the results of such studies reveal clear links between religion and relational conflict. For practitioners, these studies show that reli­gion can be used in the conflict management/ resolution process. Along with relational con­flict, religion should also be incorporated into studies of other types of interpersonal conflict. Koerner and Fitzpatrick (1997) argue that families socialize children into conflict styles via interpersonal relationships. How do differ­ent religions or how does religiosity potentially influence this process? Moreover, how would being in an interfaith family possibly affect this process? Jealousy also creates a great deal of conflict. Does jealousy vary depending on an individual’s religiosity or religious denomi- nation/identity? Christians, Hindus, and Muslims in the United States and India were found to differ in their expression of jealousy in an exploratory study of jealousy (Croucher, DeMaris, Oyer, Yartey, & Ziberi, 2011), with Hindus reporting higher cognitive and emo­tional jealousy than Christians. The authors, however, claim that more work is needed to investigate other potential factors in India and in other nations. For example, Croucher (2008) found that religiosity was a key factor in the expression of emotion among Muslim and Christian couples in France. Individuals (Muslims and Christians) explained how their religiosity affected how likely they were to express guilt, jealousy, anger, and love to their significant other. Such explorations into the relationships between religion and various types of interpersonal emotion and conflict could garner fruitful findings.

More on the topic Relational Conflict and Religion:

1. How Religion Affects Organizational Dissent, Relational Conflict, and Conflict Styles
2. Relational Conflict and Religion
3. Relational Conflict
4. Oetzel John, Ting-Toomey Stella. The SAGE Handbook of Conflict Communication: Integrating Theory, Research and Practice. SAGE Publications,2013. — 912 p., 2013
5. Cognition and Relational Conflict
6. Individual Behaviors
7. Relational Impacts on Work-Life Conflict
8. Diversity and Workgroup Conflict
9. Community has many meanings, contexts, and definitions.
10. Conflict and Workgroup Outcomes