The influence of tertiary education disciplines on self-construals and conflict management tendencies

• Main Authors: WEE, Sheila Xi Rui, CHOO, Wan Yee, CHENG, Chi-ying
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2021
• Subjects: Self-Construal; Tertiary Education; Conflict Management Style; U.S.; Singapore; Asian Studies; Educational Psychology
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3439; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4696/viewcontent/fpsyg_12_659301__1_.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

While cultural difference on self-construal are well-documented, how acculturation to a new cultural environment could change an individual’s self-construal remains under-explored. In this research, how tertiary education disciplines could be associated with the endorsement of self-construals which, in turn, affect students’ conflict management tendencies were explored. Study 1 revealed that across the United States and Singapore, college students from business and social science disciplines exhibited the trend of endorsing more independent and interdependent self-construal respectively, regardless of the different dominant self-construals in the two countries. Study 2 explored how tertiary education disciplines is associated with individuals’ conflict management tendencies via the endorsement of different self-construals among Singaporeans. Findings showed that individuals from business discipline possess a more independent self-construal and in turn endorsed more of a competing conflict management style than those from social sciences. Different disciplinary cultures could link to conflict management tendencies via the endorsement of self-construals, yielding significant theoretical and practical implications.