Examination of Conflict Resolution Styles in Romantic Relationships According to the Positive Psychotherapy Four-Way Model

Abstract

This research aims to provide a scientific study on how people in romantic relationships or who are married cope with conflict and which aspect comes to the fore according to positive psychotherapy concepts. A total of 160 volunteer participants, 48 ​​men and 112 women, who were randomly selected from the cities of Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara in Turkey, were studied. People in a romantic relationship exhibit behaviors most in line with the positive conflict resolution style in their relationships. They then exhibit submission and avoidance behaviors, respectively. The least used conflict resolution is the negative behavioral style.When the correlations in the four-way model (I, you, we, real us) with the participants' conflict resolution styles are examined, a positive and significant relationship was found between negative conflict resolution styles and the I-father relationship, the togetherness of the parents and the parent-other relationship. On the other hand, the relationship between the mother-father togetherness and the relationship of the mother-father with others and the submissive conflict resolution style is negative and significant. According to this result, people with good mother-father togetherness and symbiosis use a less submissive conflict resolution style. In addition, when the data on male and female differences, age and education, and economic levels were analyzed, no significant difference was found in conflict resolution styles. Scientific research to be conducted in the fields of conflict and positive psychotherapy will provide objective data according to sociocultural differences by conducting it in Turkey or other countries. In addition to the Four-Way Model in Positive Psychotherapy, primary and secondary abilities can be analyzed with the balance model and conflict resolution styles and their effects can be examined.