2019_International Journal of Psychology 2019_23_Book 1.indb SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS International Journal of Psychology: Biopsychosocial Approach 2019 / 23 ISSN 1941-7233 (Print), ISSN 2345-024X (Online) https://doi.org/10.7220/2345-024X.23.4 THE REL ATIONSHIP BE T WEEN IRR ATIONAL REL ATIONSHIP BELIEFS AND CONFLIC T RESOLUTION STR ATEGIES IN YOUNG ADULTHOOD Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė1, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania Abstract. Background: Maintaining romantic relationships is one of the most important developmental tasks in young adulthood. Lower relationship satisfaction is asso- ciated with more expressed irrational relationship beliefs (Janjani, Momeni, Rai, & Saidi, 2017). According to the Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, irrational beliefs should cause maladaptive behavior in conflicts. However, it is not clear how par- ticular irrational relationship beliefs are associated with specific conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. Purpose. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the link between irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. Method. 148 young adults (110 female, 38 male) having roman- tic relationships participated in this study. The irrational relationship beliefs were assessed with a questionnaire by R. J. Eidelson and N. Epstein (1982). Rahim Or- ganizational Conflict Inventory – II (Rahim & Magner, 1995) was used to measure conflict resolution strategies. Results: The results showed that the more expressed irrational belief “Disagreement is destructive” was related to higher use of dominat- ing and avoiding and lower use of integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. The more expressed irrational belief “Partners can- not change” was associated with lower use of integrating and compromising con- flict resolution strategies in young adulthood. No links between the irrational belief “Partners cannot change” and avoiding conflict resolution strategy were found in young adulthood. The more expressed irrational belief “The sexes are different” was associated with higher use of dominating conflict resolution strategy in young adulthood. The more expressed irrational belief “Sexual perfectionism” was related to lower use of integrating conflict resolution strategy in young adulthood. Con- clusions. Results of this study partially support Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy. 1 Address for correspondence: Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, Vytautas Magnus Uni- versity, Department of Psychology. Address: Jonavos g. 66-328, LT-44191, Kaunas, Lithu- ania. kristina.zardeckaite-matulaitiene@vdu.lt 77 Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 78 Findings also could contribute to increasing effectiveness of psychological inter- ventions designed to improve romantic relationship in young adulthood. Keywords: irrational relationship beliefs, conflict resolution strategies, young adulthood. INTRODUC TION Maintaining romantic relationships is one of the most important de- velopmental tasks in young adulthood (Lehnart, Neyer, & Eccles, 2010). However, the majority of divorces in Lithuania occur being between 25 and 30 years old (Lithuanian Department of Statistics, 2016). Moreover, many young adults end up their romantic relationships before marriage (Simon & Barrett, 2010; Tashiro & Frazier, 2003). It raises concern about the quality of romantic relationships in young adulthood. Irrational re- lationship beliefs are one of the factors associated with lower satisfac- tion of relationships (Janjani, Momeni, Rai, & Saidi, 2017; Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, 2013). It is credible that irrational beliefs disturb romantic relationships by provoking partners’ dysfunctional emotional and behavioral responses to some kinds of events (Neenan & Dryden, 2006). However, little is known about the links between par- ticular irrational relationship beliefs and behavior patterns in conflicts in young adulthood. So, the aim of this study is to evaluate the link be- tween irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. According to Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, a person sets up life goals and tries to reach them. Rationality primarily is a tool which helps to reach these goals and be happy. Conversely, irrationality is something that prevents achievement of goals and disturbs human functioning (Dryden & Neenan, 2004a). Irrational beliefs are considered as the reason for problems. This is based on the assumption that cogni- tions (beliefs), emotions and behavior interact together. Some activat- ing events, for instance interpersonal conflicts, provoke irrational beliefs which have negative emotional and behavioural consequences. Examin- ing thoughts and replacing irrational beliefs with rational ones result in therapeutic change and better human functioning (Dryden & Neenan, 2004a; Dryden & Neenan, 2004b). Our study focuses on irrational beliefs in romantic relationship which may affect partners’ behavior in conflicts. Better understanding of the relationships between particular irrational 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 79 relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies could be useful for identifying irrational relationship beliefs affecting behavior in conflicts. Replacing these irrational beliefs or forming rational beliefs could pre- vent destructive conflict resolution and improve the quality of romantic relationships. Irrational beliefs are rigid, unrealistic and unhelpful thoughts includ- ing such phrases as “must”, “have to” or “need”. They make impossible and unrealistic demands for the self, others or the world, which cannot be met. Because of that, irrational beliefs cause dysfunctional emotions and behavior (Neenan & Dryden, 2006). Research suggests that such factors as gender (Demirtas-Zorbaz, Ulas, & Kepir-Savoly, 2015), age (Sarvestani, 2011), education (Vasile, 2012) and culture (Lee, Peterson, Sampson, & Park, 2015) may have an effect on irrational beliefs. This is explained by different cultural norms and cognitive abilities (Demirtas-Zorbaz, Ulas, & Kepir-Savoly, 2015; Macsinga & Dobriţa, 2010; Lee et al., 2015). There are five irrational relationship beliefs: “Disagreement is de- structive”; “Mindreading is expected”; “Partners cannot change”; “Sexual perfectionism”; and “The sexes are different” (Ellis, 1986). Research shows that irrational relationship beliefs are associated with poorer communi- cation, lower marital satisfaction (Janjani et al., 2013) and higher physical and emotional abuse in relationships (Kaygusuz, 2013). Previous findings confirm that irrational relationship beliefs are associated with gender (Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, 2013; Stackert & Bursik, 2003) and length of relationship (Demirtas-Zorbaz, Ulas, & Kepir-Savoly, 2015). These links could be influenced by different gender norms and expecta- tions about romantic relationships (Stackert & Bursik, 2003; Demirtas- Zorbaz, Ulas, & Kepir-Savoly, 2015). Irrational relationship beliefs can be activated by disagreements be- tween romantic partners. If this happens, partners feel and behave in maladaptive ways (Neenan & Dryden, 2006). The behavior patterns in conflicts are described by conflict resolution strategies, which are distin- guished by combining the dimensions of concern for the self and con- cern for the others. Dominating and avoiding conflict resolution strate- gies are considered as destructive, because of low concern for a partner’s needs. Dominating includes high concern for yourself and low concern for others. People using this strategy try to win a conflict. Avoiding in- cludes low concern for both self and others. It means trying to withdraw, Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 80 but not to solve a conflict. Obliging shows low concern for self and high concern for a partner’s needs. People using obliging tend to reduce con- flict by satisfying a partner’s needs. This strategy is also maladaptive be- cause it ignores self needs. Integrating and compromising conflict reso- lution strategies are constructive, because of high concern for self and other’s needs. Integrating shows high concern both for self and others needs. It demonstrates a collaboration to reach an acceptable solution for both partners. Compromising indicates medium concern for self and another’s needs – the solution is partially acceptable for both partners (Rahim & Magner, 1995). Previous results indicate that conflict resolu- tion is associated with age and gender in young adulthood (Gbadamosi et al., 2014). Women are more likely than men to use competing strat- egy (high concern for yourself, low concern for others), while men use avoiding, accommodating (low concern for yourself, high concern for others) and compromising strategies more than women. (Gbadamosi et al., 2014; Wheeler, Updegraff, & Thayer, 2010). Younger students tend to use accommodating and compromising strategies more than older stu- dents, while older students are more likely to use avoiding strategy than younger students (Gbadamosi et al., 2014). Also it is possible that con- flict resolution strategies are associated with some irrational relationship beliefs (Neenan & Dryden, 2006). Although conflicts are an inseparable part of romantic relationships, V. Satir (1967) notes that sometimes partners think that love goes with total agreement. In that case, conflicts are seen as an insult or lack of love and threaten autonomy and the romantic relationship. That dis- turbs overt communication and leads to postponing, coercing or delud- ing a partner. A few studies show conflicting results on the relationship between the belief that conflicts are destructive and dominant behavior. Some research supports this belief being associated with dominant be- havior in conflicts (Simon, Kobielski, & Martin, 2008; Ricco & Sierraapie, 2017), but also it is found that destructive beliefs about disagreements are associated with lower use of verbal aggression (Aloia, 2017). This could occur because verbal aggression is only a part of dominant be- havior. Research also supports that the belief that argument is a threat is associated with avoiding conflict resolution strategy (Ricco, Sierraa- pie, 2017). Moreover, it was found that destructive belief about disa- greements is negatively associated with constructive conflict resolution 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 81 strategies, such as integrating (Simon & Sierra, 2017) and negotiation (Simon et al., 2008). However, previous research differs from this study in participants’ age – some concentrated in late adolescence (Simon, Kobielski, & Martin, 2008), others included participants with a broader age range (Ricco & Sierra, 2017). In this study it is hypothesized (H 1 ) that the more expressed irrational belief “Disagreement is destructive” will be related to higher use of dominating and avoiding and lower use of integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. The irrational belief “Partners cannot change” is dysfunctional be- cause of its elimination of hope for improving a relationship and chang- ing behavior (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982). The belief “Partners cannot change” refers to an external locus of control when relationship out- comes are attributed not to your own behavior but to chance, situation or circumstances (Rotter, 1966). Research supports that people having an external locus of control tend to behave in a passive way – avoid- ing disagreements (Taylor, 2010) and decision making (Baiocco, Laghi, & D’Alessio, 2009), and not using confrontation, self-disclosure or emo- tional expression in conflicts (Şahin, Basım, & Çetin, 2009). However, research considering the relationships between this belief and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood was not found: this study at- tempts to fill the gap in this field. It was hypothesized (H 2 ) that the more expressed irrational belief “Partners cannot change” would be related to higher use of avoiding and lower use of integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. The irrational belief “Mindreading is expected” refers to the believing that partners should understand each other’s needs or feelings without verbal communication. It leads to poor communication and disappoint- ment when a partner is not able to “mindread” (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982). Some research shows that people having this belief tend to behave in a hostile and combative way when a partner fails to sense their needs without overt communication (Wright & Roloff, 2015). The irrational belief “The sexes are different” states that men and women differ dra- matically in their personalities and needs. It may lead to the assumption that compromising or integrating is impossible in a romantic relation- ship because of different partners’ needs and encourage less effort to reach a solution acceptable for both partners (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982). Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 82 Several studies show that the irrational belief “The sexes are different” is related to lower relationship satisfaction (Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė- Matulaitienė, 2013, Stackert & Bursik, 2003). The irrational belief that partners should be perfect sexually may elicit negative feelings and reduce sexual pleasure (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982). Stackert and Bursik (2003) found that the irrational belief “Sexual perfectionism” is related to lower relationship satisfaction in males, but in other research no link between the belief “Sexual perfectionism” and general relationship sat- isfaction was found (Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, 2013). Re- search also shows that the more expressed husbands’ belief “Sexual per- fectionism” predicts better spousal consensus, but the stronger wives’ belief that partners should be perfect sexually predicts lower expres- sion of feelings in relationship (Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, 2013). Summarizing, the irrational beliefs “Mindreading is expected”, “The sexes are different” and “Sexual perfectionism” may affect roman- tic relationships. However, we have not found prior research focusing on the links between these beliefs and behavior patterns in conflicts in young adulthood. Because of that we raised the additional question whether irrational beliefs “Mindreading is expected”, “The sexes are dif- ferent” and “Sexual perfectionism” are associated with conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. ME THOD Participants and procedure 148 young adults having romantic relationships participated in this study. The sample consisted of 110 women and 38 men. Participants’ age ranged from 18 to 28 years (mean age = 20.6 years). 68% of the sam- ple were in dating relationships, 30% lived with a romantic partner but were not married, 2% were married. The length of romantic relation- ship was 2 years on average. The majority of participants (99%) did not have children; other participants (1%) had one child. 91% of participants identified their sexual orientation as heterosexual, 5% bisexual, 3% ho- mosexual, 1% asexual. Regarding educational level, 68% of participants had finished secondary school, 13% were high school graduates, 10% 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 83 were college graduates, 10% had a lower secondary education degree, 1% were finished vocational school. The majority of participants studied in high school (53%) or combined work and studies (23%). People aged 18 to 29 having romantic relationships were invited to participate in this study using an online questionnaire. Measures Irrational relationship beliefs questionnaire (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982). An irrational relationship beliefs questionnaire was used to meas- ure the expression of irrational relationship beliefs. It was translated into the Lithuanian language by Adomavičiūtė and Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė (2010). The irrational relationship beliefs questionnaire consists of 32 items answered on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from 0 – “I strongly feel that this statement is true” to 5 – “I strongly feel that this statement is false”. A higher score means a more expressed irrational relationship belief. The questionnaire includes 5 subscales which represent irra- tional relationship beliefs: “Disagreement is destructive”; “Mindreading is expected”; “Partners cannot change”; “Sexual perfectionism”; and “The sexes are different”. The subscale “Mindreading is expected” was ex- cluded from the analysis because of low internal validity (see Table 1). Table 1. The internal validity of different subscales of Irrational relationship beliefs questionnaire Subscale Number of items Value of Cronbach Alpha “Disagreement is destructive” 9 .73 “Mindreading is expected” 4 (3) .30 (.41)* “Partners cannot change” 5 (4) .45 (.54)* “The sexes are different” 7 .69 “Sexual perfectionism” 7 (6) .49 (.52)* *Values of Cronbach Alpha after excluding some items from the subscales Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory – II (Rahim & Mag- ner, 1995). Conflict resolution strategies were assessed by Rahim Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 84 Organizational Conflict Inventory – II (Rahim & Magner, 1995) which was translated into Lithuanian language by Gustaitė (2008). The cor- rection of translation was made by Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė (2011). Although this inventory was developed for measuring conflicts among the members of organization, it is widely used in various contexts, in- cluding the field of romantic relationships (Dijkstra, Barelds, Ronner, & Nauta, 2017; Nadiri & Khalatbari, 2018; Farahanifar, Heidari, Davodi, & Aleyasin, 2019). Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory – II consists of 28 items which participants were asked to respond on a Likert scale from 1 “strongly disagree” to 5 “strongly agree”. A high score shows a more expressed conflict resolution strategy. The questionnaire consists of 5 subscales – Integrating, Obliging, Dominating, Avoiding and Com- promising. The internal validity of all subscales was sufficient for the statistical analysis (see Table 2). Table 2. The internal validity of different subscales of Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventor y – II Subscale Number of items Value of Cronbach Alpha Integrating 7 .91 Obliging 6 .77 Dominating 5 .80 Avoiding 6 .66 Compromising 4 .73 Statistical procedures Gender differences in irrational relationship beliefs and conflict res- olution strategies were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test. The relationships between relationship beliefs, conflict resolution strate- gies and age, and length of romantic relationship were evaluated using Spearman correlation analysis. As data were not normally distributed, Spearman correlation analysis also was applied for investigation the 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 85 relationship between irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolu- tion strategies. RESULTS Before testing the hypotheses, it was analyzed if irrational relation- ship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies are associated with some demographic factors, which could affect the relationship between irra- tional relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies. There were no significant differences in gender found (see Table 3). Table 3. Gender differences in irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood Subscales Females Males U p Mean SD Mean SD Irrational relationship beliefs “Disagreement is destructive” 14.41 7.75 12.71 6.38 1811.00 .22 “Partners can- not change” 4.83 3.58 5.13 3.66 1999.50 .69 “The sexes are different” 15.63 6.90 14.08 6.97 1857.50 .31 “Sexual perfectionism” 12.15 5.42 12.11 4.47 2083.00 .98 Conflict resolution strategies Integrating 29.90 5.44 29.42 6.01 2075.50 .95 Obliging 22.56 4.04 22.45 4.29 2046.00 .85 Dominating 12.40 4.57 13.21 3.71 1766.50 .15 Avoiding 18.15 4.97 18.55 3.92 1952.00 .54 Compromising 15.62 3.14 15.45 3.15 1995.50 .68 Irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies were not related to age (see Table 4). Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 86 Table 4. Spearman’s correlations between irrational relationship beliefs, conflict resolution strategies and age in young adulthood Scales Age r p Irrational relationship beliefs “Disagreement is destructive” .10 .20 “Partners cannot change” .03 .75 “The sexes are different” .06 .48 “Sexual perfectionism” -.08 .33 Conflict resolution strategies Integrating -.01 .90 Obliging .02 .81 Dominating .12 .14 Avoiding -.05 .56 Compromising .03 .76 The length of romantic relationship was associated neither with ir- rational relationship beliefs nor with conflict resolution strategies (see Table 5). Table 5. Spearman’s correlations between irrational relationship beliefs, conflict resolution strategies and length of romantic relationship in young adulthood Scales Length of romantic relationship r p Irrational relationship beliefs “Disagreement is destructive” .01 .92 “Partners cannot change” .01 .88 “The sexes are different” .05 .52 “Sexual perfectionism” -.11 .19 Conflict resolution strategies Integrating -.05 .59 Obliging .10 .25 Dominating .11 .17 Avoiding -.01 .99 Compromising .05 .52 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 87 As dependent variables were not related to any demographic variables, correlation analysis was done in general sample of this study. The analysis revealed that the irrational belief “Disagreement is de- structive” was associated with conflict resolution strategies (see Table 6). Table 6. Spearman’s correlations between irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood Integrating Obliging Dominating Avoiding Compromising Disagreement is destructive -.32** .05 .37** .17* -.17* Partners cannot change -.42** -.17* .05 .10 -.37** The sexes are different -.16 .00 .19* .12 .03 Sexual perfectionism -.21* .02 .14 .10 -.16 * p < .05; **p < .01 The first hypothesis was supported – the more expressed belief “Dis- agreement is destructive” was significantly associated with higher use of dominating and avoiding conflict resolution strategies and lower use of integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies. The second hypothesis was confirmed partially – the more expressed irrational belief “Partners cannot change” was not associated with higher use of avoiding conflict resolution strategy, but it was negatively linked with integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies. Irrational belief “The sexes are different” was significantly associated with only one of the five conflict resolution strategies – a positive correlation was found between this belief and dominating conflict resolution strategy. Also it was found that more expressed irrational belief “Sexual perfectionism” was related to lower use of integrating conflict resolution strategy. DISCUSSION The aim of this study was to evaluate the links between irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adult- hood. Although research suggests that irrational relationship beliefs Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 88 are associated with poorer relationship outcomes (Janjani et al., 2017, Kaygusuz, 2013), the links between specific irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood are still unclear. We tried to fill this gap by this study. Our findings confirmed that the irrational belief “Disagreement is destructive” was positively associated with dominant and avoiding con- flict resolution strategies in young adulthood. It could be explained by the reaction to the threat – a person tries to fight in order to defend his or her rights (dominating) or to prevent danger (avoiding). These results supported V. Satir’s (1967) assumptions that partners tended to coerce or avoid conflicts, when differences between partners were seen as a threat. Our findings were similar to previous research which found that belief about the destructive nature of conflicts was positively associ- ated with dominant (Simon, Kobielski, & Martin, 2008; Ricco & Sierraapie, 2017) and avoiding (Ricco & Sierraapie, 2017) behavior in conflicts. How- ever, results did not support L.S. Aloia’s (2017) findings that indicated a negative relationship between this belief and verbal aggression. A pos- sible explanation of mixed results could be the inequality of measured variables – verbal aggression was only a part of dominant behavior in conflicts. As hypothesized, the irrational belief “Disagreement is destruc- tive” was associated with lower use of integrating and compromising conflict resolution strategies. It is credible that people holding that “disa- greements are destructive” do not try to resolve conflicts constructively. These results were consistent with previous findings (Simon, Kobielski, & Martin, 2008, Ricco & Sierraapie, 2017) and supported the assumption that belief about the destructive nature of conflicts disturbed overt and constructive communication between partners (Satir, 1967). We found that the irrational belief “Partners cannot change” was as- sociated with lower use of integrating and compromising conflict reso- lution strategies in young adulthood. It could be explained by expec- tation of low success in conflict resolution and putting less effort into finding a solution which could be useful for both partners. These results were similar to prior research concerned in locus of control that showed negative correlation between external locus of control and confronta- tion, self-disclosure, emotional expression in conflicts (Şahin, Basım, & Çetin, 2009). Our findings did not support the hypothesis that the irra- tional belief “Partners cannot change” should be associated with higher 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 89 use of avoiding conflict resolution strategy in young adulthood. These results were inconsistent with previous findings that showed the ten- dency for people with an external locus of control to behave in passive way (Taylor, 2010; Baiocco, Laghi, & D’Alessio, 2009). There are several possible explanations of these contradictory results. First, it is possible that a relationship was not found because of the convenience sample which could be not representative enough. Second, although the irra- tional belief “Partners cannot change” refers to external locus of control, there is no empirical evidence that the relationship between these vari- ables really exists. Further research is needed in this field. We also found that the irrational belief “The sexes are different” related to higher use of dominating conflict resolution strategy. The assumption that people having this belief hold that opposite sexes can not resolve conflicts constructively and put less effort into make a decision acceptable for both partners (Eidelson & Epstein, 1982) could explain this relationship. Our study also showed that the irrational be- lief “Sexual perfectionism” was negatively associated with integrating conflict resolution strategy. The way in which this belief affects part- ners’ behavior in interpersonal conflicts is still unknown. Some studies showed that the women’s belief “Sexual perfectionism” was related to lower expression of feelings in romantic relationships (Slavinskienė & Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė, 2013). It could explain the relationship be- tween the irrational belief “Sexual perfectionism” and integrating con- flict resolution strategy, because overt communication and disclosure is important in constructive conflict resolution. Alhough some corre- lations between the irrational beliefs “The sexes are different”, “Sexual perfectionism” and conflict resolution strategies were established, this field does not have strong empirical support and needs further research. Some limitations of this study and future research directions should be mentioned. First, the statistical analysis used in this study cannot in- dicate causal relationships between irrational relationship beliefs and conflict resolution strategies in young adulthood. Although Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy suggests that irrational beliefs cause mala- daptive behavior in conflicts, it is possible that maladaptive behavior in conflicts forms irrational beliefs. Moreover, the majority of participants were female students aged between 18 and 22 years. The low diversity Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė-Matulaitienė 90 of sample limits the possibility to generalize our findings to the entire population of young adults. A further investigation with a more repre- sentative sample is needed for more precise results. Also some factors, such as ethnicity, education, socioeconomic and relationship status, may have had an affect our results and should become an issue for fu- ture studies. 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Communication Research Reports, 32(1), 10–19. 2019, 23, 77–93 p.The Relationship Between Irrational Relationship Beliefs And Conflict Resolution Strategies In Young Adulthood 93 KL AIDINGŲ ĮSITIKINIMŲ APIE SANT YKIUS POROJE IR TARPASMENINIŲ KONFLIK TŲ SPRENDIMO STR ATEGIJŲ SĄSA JOS JAUNO SUAUGUSIOJO AMŽIUJE Marija Aušraitė, Kristina Žardeckaitė -Matulaitienė, Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, Lietuva Santrauka. Problema. Romantiškų santykių palaikymas yra vienas iš svarbiausių uždavi- nių jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Mažesnis pasitenkinimas santykiais susijęs su stipriau išreikštais klaidingais įsitikinimais apie santykius poroje (Janjani, Momeni, Rai ir Sai- di, 2017). Remiantis racionaliąja-emocionaliąja elgesio terapija, klaidingi įsitikinimai turėtų sukelti neadaptyvų elgesį konfliktų metu, tačiau nėra atsakyta į klausimą, kaip konkretūs klaidingi įsitikinimai apie santykius poroje siejasi su įvairiomis konf- liktų sprendimo strategijomis jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Tikslas. Šio tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti ryšį tarp klaidingų įsitikinimų apie santykius poroje ir konfliktų sprendimo strategijų jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Metodai. Tyrime dalyvavo 148 (110 moterų, 38 vyrai) 18–29 metų žmonės, palaikantys romantiškus santykius. Klaidingų įsitiki- nimų apie santykius poroje išreikštumui nustatyti buvo naudojamas R. J. Eidelson ir N. Epstein (1982) klausimynas. Konfliktų sprendimo strategijų išreikštumas matuotas Rahimo organizacinių konfliktų klausimynu II (Rahim ir Magner, 1995). Rezultatai. Rezultatai parodė, jog, stiprėjant klaidingam įsitikinimui „Nesutarimai yra destrukty- vūs“, didėja dominavimo ir vengimo bei mažėja bendradarbiavimo ir kompromiso konfliktų sprendimo strategijų išreikštumas jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Klaidingas įsitikinimas „Partneriai negali pasikeisti“ buvo susijęs su mažesniu bendradarbiavimo ir kompromiso konfliktų sprendimo strategijų išreikštumu jauno suaugusiojo amžiu- je. Ryšys tarp klaidingo įsitikinimo „Partneriai negali pasikeisti“ ir konfliktų sprendimo vengimo strategijos jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje nebuvo nustatytas. Klaidingas įsiti- kinimas „Skirtingos lytys yra absoliučiai skirtingos“ buvo susijęs su stipriau išreikšta dominavimo konfliktų sprendimo strategija jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Stiprėjant klaidingam įsitikinimui „Seksualinis perfekcionizmas“, mažėjo bendradarbiavimo konfliktų sprendimo strategijos išreikštumas jauno suaugusiojo amžiuje. Išvada. Rezultatai iš dalies patvirtina racionaliąją-emocionaliąją elgesio terapiją. Tyrimo išva- dos galėtų būti naudingos didinant psichologines intervencijas, skirtas jaunų suaugu- siųjų romantiškų santykių kokybei gerinti, efektyvumui didinti. Reikšminiai žodžiai: klaidingi įsitikinimai apie santykius poroje, konfliktų sprendimo stra- tegijos, jauno suaugusiojo amžius. Received: 2019-04-04 Accepted: 2019-09-05 CONTENTS EDITORIAL NOTE SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS Chandra Díaz, Po Hu, Douglas R. 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