Article to Audio

Episode 2 article abstract: When people avoid conflict, there is no “away.” Where do they go physically or mentally? Both engaging and avoiding have a push and a pull. If we knew where avoiders go, we could study the pull of avoidance. This is a descriptive study (N = 446) of interpersonal conflict. We found that physical and mental avoidance appeared with similar frequency, and that they could occur in combination. People often recognized their need for avoidance early, based on the topic being familiar or various signals of trouble. Avoidance during the conflict could be physical or mental, but notably involved false agreement or topic manipulation. The possibility of violence (physical, verbal, or emotional) was often relevant. Relationship worries frequently motivated the avoidance. After the avoidance rumination was common, often centering on what we called “festering anger.”

Show Notes

This is Part 2 of a two-part episode.

Episode 2 article abstract: When people avoid conflict, there is no “away.” Where do they go physically or mentally? Both engaging and avoiding have a push and a pull. If we knew where avoiders go, we could study the pull of avoidance. This is a descriptive study (N = 446) of interpersonal conflict. We found that physical and mental avoidance appeared with similar frequency, and that they could occur in combination. People often recognized their need for avoidance early, based on the topic being familiar or various signals of trouble. Avoidance during the conflict could be physical or mental, but notably involved false agreement or topic manipulation. The possibility of violence (physical, verbal, or emotional) was often relevant. Relationship worries frequently motivated the avoidance. After the avoidance rumination was common, often centering on what we called “festering anger.”

Article Citation:
Hample D. & Hample J., (2019) “There is No Away: Where Do People Go When They Avoid an Interpersonal Conflict?”, Negotiation and Conflict Management Research 13(4). p.304-325. doi: https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.34891/fy30-0198

What is Article to Audio?

“Article to Audio” features interviews with scholars about their research on negotiation and conflict management from our field's top academic journals. We have specifically designed the format and content of the episodes to be rooted in research findings but avoiding complicated jargon so that the series can be useful for a variety of audiences, including upper-year undergraduates, graduate students, and the general public.