Relationship Psychology - Does Conflict Have A Greater Effect On Men?

Men and women are different in almost every arena, but especially when it comes to conflict in relationships. In determining why women and men react in such different manners, we can look at relationship psychology. Whether you're married or just dating, there will be times when you won't agree and an argument will ensue. What can make these arguments worse is the manner in which each of them deal with conflict. So how do the genders deal with conflict? More specifically we'll explore does conflict have a greater effect on men?

Several years ago a study done by the National Institute of Mental Health found that couples between 18 and 21 who had been together for less than 6 months avoided intimacy and becoming too dependent on the other person. During this window of time they showed higher levels of anxieties centered around their prospect of being rejected or even abandoned by the mate. The levels of anxiety varied based on how secure the individuals were in themselves. Lower self esteem generated higher anxiety and conversely, higher self esteem yielded less anxiety.

An interesting finding in the testing was how differently the men reacted than the women. Those who were performing the research on relationship psychology with these subjects found that men's reactions to conflict were noticed much easier than the women's. With the vast majority of the men, an increase in the anxiety level was noticed in the midst of conflict. Only the most avoidant women showed significant changes.

During a relationship conflict, women are more apt to resolve things with guided conversation. Relationship psychology studies find them to be the ones who do various things to actively resolve the situation. They may show an increase in their cortisol levels before and also during a confrontation, but these level off almost immediately after the issue.

Men, on the other hand, were much more passive in resolving conflict. Research showed that they wanted the conflict to be resolved quickly, but they weren't in a rush to confront the conflict head on. The men who were with secure women displayed much lower levels of anxiety. Women were not affected either way by the security of their partners.

If you're in a relationship and seeking relationship advice, you should know that men and women react differently. Keeping this in mind will give you insight on how to deal with your mate in the midst of a conflict. Men are more apt to respond to the conflict through the eyes of their anxieties. This uncontrolled anxiety may manifest itself in various ways.

To answer the question, does conflict have a greater effect on men [http://relationshiprecovery-howtowinmyexback.com], based on relationship psychology, the answer is a definite Yes. You can find more of this valuable relationship information written by Arlissa Pinkelton by clicking on the hyperlink.