Intimacy and Disputing Styles Within Kin and Nonkin Relationships

Abstract

Many theorists of family conflict have suggested that the more intimate a relationship is, the more intense conflict will be within that relationship. This hypothesis was tested in a survey of modal disputing styles within 14 kin and 12 non-kin relationships. A total of 455 subjects reported their modal disputing styles, their intimacy, and their frequency of contact within these relationships. As hypothesized, reported intimacy did correlate with more extreme disputing styles.