An Integrative Examination of Peer Conflict: Children's Reported Goals, Emotions, and Behaviors

Abstract

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the interrelations among children's typical emotions, goals, and behavior during peer conflict and to examine emotions and goals as joint predictors of behavior. Children (7 to 11 years old) described recent conflicts with peers and were questioned about their emotions, goals, and behaviors. The friendliness of children's reported goals during conflict was associated with low anger intensity and with high intensity of sadness. Children who tended to report nonconstructive behavior also tended to report relatively intense anger and relatively unfriendly goals. Furthermore, in regression analyses, the friendliness of goals uniquely predicted the constructiveness of children's behavior after controlling for the effects of anger intensity, age, gender, provoking event, and friendship with the peer. Although boys and girls reported similar levels of anger and sadness, girls reported friendlier goals and more constructive behavior than did boys. The use of self-reports of actual events to examine peer conflict during middle childhood is also discussed.

The effects of conflict role and intensity on preschoolers’ expectations about peer conflict

“…Although young girls in general are better at avoiding peer conflict (P.M. Miller et al, 1986) and exhibit more prosocial and constructive behaviour during conflict (Chung & Asher, 1996;Dunn & Herrera, 1997;Eisenberg et al, 1994;Hay et al, 1992;P.M. Miller et al, 1986;Murphy & Eisenberg, 2002;Rose & Asher, 1999) than boys, the present findings suggest that girls' expectations and perceptions of conflict may be more sensitive to negative cues once conflict occurs than are boys'. This greater sensitivity to conflict negativity may motivate girls to engage in behaviours that are likely to de-escalate conflict.…”

“…Researchers have long theorised about the developmental significance of interpersonal conflict with peers (e.g., Piaget, 1932;Shantz & Hobart, 1989), and a large body of research exists regarding children's behavioural, emotional, and socialcognitive reactions to peer conflict (e.g., Eisenberg & Garvey, 1981;Laursen & Hartup, 1989;Murphy & Eisenberg, 2002;Shantz, 1987Shantz, , 1993. Conflict has been defined as mutual opposition between children such that child A does or says something that child B disputes, and then child A responds to child B with counteropposition (Shantz, 1987).…”

Funcionamiento cognitivo de niños entre 4 y 6 años para la resolución de conflictos interpersonales

“…de acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos y acorde con algunos estudios revisados en el marco conceptual, no se requiere la previa instauración de habilidades cognitivas en el niño de manera específica, para poder considerar en él un desarrollo socio-cognitivo y de las habilidades sociales (ló-pez, apodaca, etxebarria, Fuentes & ortiz, 1998;abello & amar, 2006y tropo-gordon & ascherm, 2005, que citan a: renshaw & asher, 1983slaby & guerra,1988;Murphy & eisenberg, 2002;ross & asher, 2004;díaz, 2005).…”

Jaunesniojo Mokyklinio Amžiaus Vaikų Konfliktų Sprendimo Būdų Ir Vaiko Statuso Grupėje Sąsajos

“…Nors kai kurie tyrėjai remiasi vaizdo duomenų analize (Killen, Turiel, 1991), naudoja klausimynus (Jensen-Cambell et al, 2003), interviu (Murphy, Eisenberg, 2002), visi šie metodai padeda geriau įver-tinti konkretaus vaiko elgesį, bet ne vaikų tarpusavio bendravimą.…”