Linking Emotion to the Conflict Face-Negotiation Theory: A U.S.-China Investigation of the Mediating Effects of Anger, Compassion, and Guilt in Interpersonal Conflict

Abstract

This study linked emotion to the theoretical assumptions of the face‐negotiation theory and probed the critical role of anger, compassion, and guilt in understanding the complex pathways of their relationships with self‐construal, face concerns, and conflict styles in U.S. and Chinese cultures. Results showed that anger was associated positively with independent self‐construal, self‐face concern, and the competing style, and compassion was associated positively with interdependent self‐construal, other‐face concern, and the integrating, compromising, and obliging styles. Guilt was related positively with interdependent self‐construal and the obliging style in the United States, and with interdependent self‐construal and the avoiding style in China. Overall, emotion mediated the effects of self‐construal and face concerns on conflict styles in both cultures, but cultural differences also emerged.

Social Cognitive Training Improves Emotional Processing and Reduces Aggressive Attitudes in Ex-combatants

“…In support to this notion, the recognition of basic features (i.e., perceptual) carrying primary emotional information has been considered a fast and automatic process (Pratto and John, 1991; Öhman et al, 2001) responsible for programing and executing social responses (Fazio and Olson, 2003). This view has emerged from the use of experimental tasks designed to evaluate emotion recognition of faces (Heuer et al, 2007; Hurtado et al, 2009; Luo et al, 2010; Ibáñez et al, 2011, 2014; Petroni et al, 2011; Zhang et al, 2014) or words (Schacht and Sommer, 2009; Ibáñez et al, 2014). Petroni et al (2011) found that the recognition of face valence is associated to the ability to read others' intentions.…”

Subordinates' perceptions of Western expatriate hotel managers in China: The effects of conflict avoidance

“…The way in which individuals interpret face and perform facework varies among cultures and contexts ; consequently, facework conflict styles are contingent on cultural, situational, and individual factors (Zhang et al, 2014). Given the demand for Western expatriate hotel managers in China, and considering the dichotomous nature of Eastern and Western cultures, it would be of benefit to multinational hotel firms to promote a cross-cultural understanding among expatriate mangers with regard to their Chinese subordinate employees.…”

“…In Chinese culture, face maintains far-reaching implications in relationships with peers, families, and coworkers (Leung, Chen, Zhou, & Lim, 2011). In the literature, two types of face have been identified, self-face and other-face, both referring to styles of behaviors in Face Negotiation Theory (Zhang, Ting-Toomey, & Oetzel, 2014).…”

“…Research in this area determined Face Negotiation Theory evolved through "facework," or the behaviors individuals exhibited to enact self-face or to challenge other-face (Ting-Toomey, 1988, 2005Zhang et al, 2014). Conflict, as it relates to face, is a face negotiation process where individuals who have experienced face threat or loss, operationalize facework (Zhang et al, 2014).…”

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

“…While conflict styles are subject to the interplay of cultural, situational, and individual variables, by and large, culture exerts a strong influence on people's conflict style preferences and selection (Cai & Fink, 2002;Ting-Toomey, 2005;Zhang, Ting-Toomey, & Oetzel, 2014). In spite of some minor inconsistencies, studies demonstrate that members from individualistic cultures tend Communication Quarterly 3 to be more competing and confrontational, but less avoiding and obliging, than those from collectivistic cultures (Croucher et al, 2012;Oetzel & Ting-Toomey, 2003;Oetzel et al, 2001;Ting-Toomey, 2005).…”