Family Communication Patterns and Conflict Styles in Chinese Parent-Child Relationships

Abstract

This study investigated Chinese family communication patterns, their effects on children's conflict styles, and the children's perceptions of parent-child relationship satisfaction. The study found that Chinese family communication patterns are more conversation-oriented than conformity-oriented, and the collaborating and accommodating styles are the children's most preferred and the competing style the least preferred. The children from conversation-oriented families are most likely to use the collaborating style but unlikely to use the avoiding style, whereas the children from conformity-oriented families are most likely to use the competing style but unlikely to use the collaborating style. The finding also indicated that children are more satisfied with the conversation orientation than with the conformity orientation and with the collaborating, compromising, and accommodating styles than with competing and avoiding styles in parent-child relationships.

A U.S.-China Investigation of the Effects of Perceived Partner Conflict Styles on Outcome Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Perceived Partner Conflict Competence

“…Four items assessed each of the five conflict styles: competing (e.g., ''Pushed to get my ideas accepted''), integrating (e.g., ''Worked with me to find a mutually optimal solution''), compromising (e.g., ''Proposed a middle ground to solve the problem''), avoiding (e.g., ''Tried to avoid a confrontation with me''), and obliging (e.g., ''Tried to satisfy my needs and expectations''). Consistent with prior research (Butt et al, 2005;Zhang, 2007), the scale had adequate reliability in both cultures. For the U.S. sample, the alpha was 0.92 for competing style, 0.96 for integrating, 0.97 for compromising, 0.90 for avoiding, and 0.95 for obliging style.…”

“…The more negativity and belligerence a counterpart exhibits, the less satisfied one becomes with the relationship (Segrin, Hanzal, & Domschke, 2009). Similarly in Chinese culture, integrating, compromising, and obliging styles are also found to be correlated with higher levels of relational satisfaction than competing and avoiding styles (Zhang, 2007). Few studies have examined the relationship between conflict behavior and conflict communication satisfaction.…”

Cultural “Faces” of Interpersonal Communication in China and Nigeria

“…An explorative study by Zhang (2007) revealed a somewhat similar trend in Chinese families. Also using self-report method, Zhang found that contemporary Chinese family communications were more conversation-oriented than conformity-oriented, the latter being a characteristic of traditional Chinese families.…”

Cultural differences in consumer socialization: A comparison of Chinese–Canadian and Caucasian–Canadian children

“…The parent-child relationship in Chinese families is going through a transformation under the changing macro societal conditions brought about by the nation's rapid modernization. Based on his findings, Zhang (2007) ventures that Chinese parents have shifted from conformity orientation to conversation orientation in parent-child interactions, and that this shift may actually reflect the transformation of Chinese culture from a highly hierarchical society to one that endorses equality and freedom (p.123).…”

“…The study by Zhang (2007) suggests that the present-day Chinese family communication patterns are more conversation-oriented than conformity oriented. Conversation orientation (conceptually similar to concept-orientation) refers to a family's encouragement of an open exchange of ideas and feelings whereas the conformity orientation (conceptually similar to socio-orientation) refers to parents' tendency to enforce child conformity (Ritchie, 1991).…”