Conflict Strategies Adolescents Use with Their Parents: Testing the Cognitive Communicator Characteristics Model

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Abstract
This study examined the determinates of adolescents' confict strategy choice during conflict with their parents. Grounded in Giles & Street's (1985) Cognitive Communicator Characteristics Model, it predicted that during minimally salient conflict with their parents, adolescents' strategy choice would be driven by the behavioural dispositions associated with their self-esteem, while in highly salient conflict, adolescents' strategy use would be induced by parental strategy use, a situational cue. Results did not support the idea that behavioural dispositions associated with self-esteem would emerge in minimally salient conflict; however, adolescents' strategy choice was affected by parental strategy choice in highly salient conflict. Adolescents tend to reciprocate cooperative strategies in all conflict conditions but in highly salient conflict they also reciprocate competitive conflict strategies.