Intergenerational Conflict Management in Immigrant Arab Canadian Families. (August 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rasmi, Sarah; Daly, Timothy M.; Chuang, Susan S.
• Is Part Of: Journal of cross-cultural psychology. Volume 45:Number 7(2014)
• Page Start: 1124
• Page End: 1144
• Publication Date: 2014-08
• Subjects: immigration/migration -- acculturation -- family/child rearing; Ethnopsychology -- Periodicals; 155.805
• DOI: 10.1177/0022022114532358
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-0221

Abstract

The present studies bridged across the conflict management and family psychology literatures to increase our understanding of intergenerational conflict within the context of immigrant Arab Canadian families. Using a quantitative approach, Study 1 ( n = 71) found that although emerging adults reported relatively low levels of intergenerational conflict, honor-related conflict issues were salient to this population and not captured by the Intergenerational Conflict Inventory. Study 1 also found that emerging adults' preferred conflict handling style was associated with overall levels of intergenerational conflict as well as cultural orientation and adaptation. Three conflict handling styles (avoid, integrate, and dominate) were associated with increased intergenerational conflict, whereas oblige was associated with decreased intergenerational conflict. These results were confirmed using a qualitative approach in Study 2 ( n = 12). Importantly, Study 2 also suggested that oblige took two distinct forms in this population, as some emerging adults actually obliged their parents in the conflict situation, whereas others stated that they would but covertly disobeyed their parents.