You, we, and I - Relationships between verbal expressions of communality and dyadic conflict behavior

Forty-eight individuals were asked to participate in dyadic role plays that were recorded on videotape and transcribed. The tapes were scored on effectiveness of conflict management, and the transcriptions were scored on integrative and distributive conflict behavior, perceived friendliness, and the use of words of communality (''we,'' ''us''). In line with the hypotheses, correlation and regression analyses demonstrated positive relations with the use of words of communality and integrative conflict behavior and with effectiveness of conflict management. On the basis of only 7% of all words used in the conversations, variance in conflict behaviors and friendliness could be assessed for about 50%

You, we, and I - Relationships between verbal expressions of communality and dyadic conflict behavior

Forty-eight individuals were asked to participate in dyadic role plays that were recorded on videotape and transcribed. The tapes were scored on effectiveness of conflict management, and the transcriptions were scored on integrative and distributive conflict behavior, perceived friendliness, and the use of words of communality (''we,'' ''us''). In line with the hypotheses, correlation and regression analyses demonstrated positive relations with the use of words of communality and integrative conflict behavior and with effectiveness of conflict management. On the basis of only 7% of all words used in the conversations, variance in conflict behaviors and friendliness could be assessed for about 50%