The Influence of Tertiary Education Disciplines on Self-Construals and Conflict Management Tendencies

Abstract

While cultural difference on self-construal are well-documented, how acculturation to a new cultural environment could change an individual’s self-construal remains under-explored. In this research, how tertiary education disciplines could be associated with the endorsement of self-construals which, in turn, affect students’ conflict management tendencies were explored. Study 1 revealed that across the United States and Singapore, college students from business and social science disciplines exhibited the trend of endorsing more independent and interdependent self-construal respectively, regardless of the different dominant self-construals in the two countries. Study 2 explored how tertiary education disciplines is associated with individuals’ conflict management tendencies via the endorsement of different self-construals among Singaporeans. Findings showed that individuals from business discipline possess a more independent self-construal and in turn endorsed more of a competing conflict management style than those from social sciences. Different disciplinary cultures could link to conflict management tendencies via the endorsement of self-construals, yielding significant theoretical and practical implications.

Groovin’ to the cultural beat: Preferences for danceable music represent cultural affordances for high-arousal negative emotions.

“…Independent orientation appeared to predict music preference in the direction that we initially anticipated (e.g., arousal; sensory motor/dance). Yet, despite known cultural differences in self-construal (e.g., Wee et al, 2021), the United States did not score higher than Singapore on independence, possibly due to the reference group effect (Heine et al, 2002): this underrepresents cultural-level differences in independence and interdependence when measured at the individual level. Moreover, self-construal showed poor measurement invariance across cultural groups (see the online supplemental material in our OSF repository).…”

Factors affecting faculty conformity in South China universities

“…Conflicts occur within organizations at four levels: intra-individual, interpersonal, intra-group, and inter-group ( Williams-Ilemobola et al, 2021 ). Conflict management style is an individual’s tendency and reaction when dealing with disputes ( Wee et al, 2021 ). In the developed countries of the West, people are inclined to collaborate and negotiate to resolve conflicts ( Shih and Susanto, 2010 ; Pinto-Moreira, 2021 ).…”

“…Second, internal control is strong enough to inhibit such achievements ( Jiaqi and Jianfeng, 2019 ). Individuals have certain tendencies or reactions when dealing with conflicts, known as “conflict management style” ( Wee et al, 2021 ). Positive conflict management style correlates positively with employee discipline through the formalization of organizational structure and organizational behavior ( Soieb et al, 2013 ).…”