Intrapersonal conflict and choice of strategy in conflict management

The effect of intrapersonal conflict is investigated with respect to an initial choice among alternative strategies for management or interpersonal conflict. In this study 140 members of an academic institution were asked to consider an hypothetical situation in which a candidate for a position has to be selected and their personal preference among the candidates is in opposition to that of another senior member of the organization. The choice of a strategy for management of interpersonal conflict was affected by inner conflict associated with one's own preference among the candidates. When the set of available candidates induced inner conflict, the respondents were more inclined to use avoidance, accommodation, collaboration, and compromise, and less likely to use competition.