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Modifications in children's goals when encountering obstacles to conflict resolution
Wendy Troop-Gordon1, Steven R Asher
1North Dakota State University, Department of Psychology, Fargo, 58105, USA. Wendy.Troop@ndsu.nodak.edu
Child Development
|May 17, 2005
Summary
Children's goals shift during conflicts, impacting their strategies. Rejected children, both aggressive and submissive, showed more antisocial goal changes, affecting peer relationship success.
Area of Science:
- Child psychology
- Social development
- Conflict resolution
Background:
- Children's goals influence peer relationship success.
- Previous research links goals to relationship outcomes.
- The current study examines goal changes during conflict.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how children's goals change during hypothetical conflicts.
- To determine if these goal changes predict strategy choices.
- To understand the relationship between goal changes and peer rejection.
Main Methods:
- 252 children (ages 9-12) participated.
- Hypothetical conflict scenarios were presented.
- Changes in children's goals and subsequent strategy choices were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Children's goals significantly changed when facing conflict obstacles.
- Goal changes predicted subsequent strategy choices.
- Aggressive and submissive rejected children showed increased desire to retaliate and reluctance to abandon objectives.
Conclusions:
- Children's goals are dynamic during conflict and influence strategies.
- Antisocial goal shifts are evident in rejected children.
- Investigating goal combinations is crucial for understanding strategies and peer relationships.
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