Suck it Up, Let it Out or Negotiate? An Analysis of College Students' Conflict Management Strategies

Fifty-eight college students described their personal experiences of dyadic conflict. The most frequently used primary behavioral strategy to deal with the conflict was to cognitively distort the situation (called sucking it up) by students, followed by positive confrontation and attempts to negotiate. Chi square analysis showed strong interaction effects between their conflict behavior and the relationship with the other party. Students' negotiation attempts with faculty were largely unsuccessful. Equity theory offers explanations for the students' responses to their perceptions of unfairness