Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy

This study explores the relationships among conflict management strategies, personality traits, and beliefs about social relations in Italy and Serbia. These two European countries are geographically close, but have different histories, traditions and religions, and they differ along the individuali...

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Main Authors: Džamonja Ignjatović Tamara, Petrović Danijela S., Kosić Ankica, Dimoski Jana, Knežević Goran
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology 2025-01-01
Series:Psihološka Istraživanja
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Online Access:https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0352-7379/2025/0352-73792501031D.pdf
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author Džamonja Ignjatović Tamara
Petrović Danijela S.
Kosić Ankica
Dimoski Jana
Knežević Goran
author_facet Džamonja Ignjatović Tamara
Petrović Danijela S.
Kosić Ankica
Dimoski Jana
Knežević Goran
author_sort Džamonja Ignjatović Tamara
collection DOAJ
description This study explores the relationships among conflict management strategies, personality traits, and beliefs about social relations in Italy and Serbia. These two European countries are geographically close, but have different histories, traditions and religions, and they differ along the individualistic-collectivistic dimension. Goals: The study aims to explore and compare the way in which basic personality dimensions predict specific conflict management strategies, as well as the way in which the Competitive Jungle worldview and the beliefs about conflicts mediate their relationship in different cultures. Method: The sample comprised 764 young people, aged 18-30 (M=21.54, SD=2.80). The measures included the Dutch Test of Conflict Handling, Mini IPIP-6, Delta personality inventories, Competitive Jungle Worldview and Conflict Beliefs scales. Path analyses were applied with seven personality traits as predictors (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Honesty, and Disintegration), two social relation beliefs as mediators, and three conflict management strategies (Cooperative, Defensive, and Competitive) as criterion variables. Results: The results indicate that the common predictors are Openness and Agreeableness for the Cooperative strategies, Agreeableness and Disintegration for the Defensive strategies, and Extraversion for the Competitive strategies. Neuroticism and Conscientiousness are not implicated in conflict situations, while Honesty and Disintegration have a different impact on this form of behaviour in these two cultures. The results have confirmed different pathways of personality traits through the beliefs about the world as a competitive jungle and the beliefs about conflicts as threats or challenges. Conclusion: Basic personality traits, as universal dispositions for behaviour, have similar effects on conflict management strategies in both countries, while differences are observed in the mediating role of beliefs, which are shaped by the cultural differences existing between Serbia and Italy
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institution Kabale University
issn 0352-7379
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language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of Psychology
record_format Article
series Psihološka Istraživanja
spelling doaj-art-0a87badafbc64e5ea929e68f45f119282025-08-20T03:50:11ZengUniversity of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Institute of PsychologyPsihološka Istraživanja0352-73792560-306X2025-01-01281315610.5937/psistra28-544890352-73792501031DConflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and ItalyDžamonja Ignjatović Tamara0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4953-7242Petrović Danijela S.1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6838-1191Kosić Ankica2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0114-1879Dimoski Jana3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3920-660XKnežević Goran4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8951-3774University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, SerbiaUniversity of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, SerbiaUniversity of Rome, Faculty of Medicine & Psychology SAPIENZA, ItalyPIN - Psychosocial Innovation Network, SerbiaUniversity of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, SerbiaThis study explores the relationships among conflict management strategies, personality traits, and beliefs about social relations in Italy and Serbia. These two European countries are geographically close, but have different histories, traditions and religions, and they differ along the individualistic-collectivistic dimension. Goals: The study aims to explore and compare the way in which basic personality dimensions predict specific conflict management strategies, as well as the way in which the Competitive Jungle worldview and the beliefs about conflicts mediate their relationship in different cultures. Method: The sample comprised 764 young people, aged 18-30 (M=21.54, SD=2.80). The measures included the Dutch Test of Conflict Handling, Mini IPIP-6, Delta personality inventories, Competitive Jungle Worldview and Conflict Beliefs scales. Path analyses were applied with seven personality traits as predictors (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Honesty, and Disintegration), two social relation beliefs as mediators, and three conflict management strategies (Cooperative, Defensive, and Competitive) as criterion variables. Results: The results indicate that the common predictors are Openness and Agreeableness for the Cooperative strategies, Agreeableness and Disintegration for the Defensive strategies, and Extraversion for the Competitive strategies. Neuroticism and Conscientiousness are not implicated in conflict situations, while Honesty and Disintegration have a different impact on this form of behaviour in these two cultures. The results have confirmed different pathways of personality traits through the beliefs about the world as a competitive jungle and the beliefs about conflicts as threats or challenges. Conclusion: Basic personality traits, as universal dispositions for behaviour, have similar effects on conflict management strategies in both countries, while differences are observed in the mediating role of beliefs, which are shaped by the cultural differences existing between Serbia and Italyhttps://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0352-7379/2025/0352-73792501031D.pdfconflict management strategiessix-factor personality modeldisintegrationcompetitive jungle beliefsbeliefs about conflicts
spellingShingle Džamonja Ignjatović Tamara
Petrović Danijela S.
Kosić Ankica
Dimoski Jana
Knežević Goran
Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
Psihološka Istraživanja
conflict management strategies
six-factor personality model
disintegration
competitive jungle beliefs
beliefs about conflicts
title Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
title_full Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
title_fullStr Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
title_full_unstemmed Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
title_short Conflict management strategies: the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in Serbia and Italy
title_sort conflict management strategies the role of personality and specific social relation beliefs in serbia and italy
topic conflict management strategies
six-factor personality model
disintegration
competitive jungle beliefs
beliefs about conflicts
url https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0352-7379/2025/0352-73792501031D.pdf
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