The Role of Self-esteem in Conflict Management and Interpersonal Reactivity

Description

Page: 948-952

Harshini Ganesh and Alpana Vaidya (Department Psychology, Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce, Pune, Maharashtra)

This study explores the influence of self-esteem on conflict management and interpersonal reactivity, emphasizing its implications on improving psychological well-being and fostering empathy. Self-esteem is a complex concept referring to an individual’s overall affective feeling of self-worth. It encompasses beliefs, evaluations, and feelings about oneself, influencing behaviour and life outcomes. Conflict management in educational settings is crucial for maintaining a positive school climate and improving organisational efficiency. Interpersonal Reactivity serves as a term we use in order to talk about the overall empathic tendencies of a person, in which we further talk about four subscales: Perspective Taking, Fantasy, Empathic Concern, and Personal Distress. A quantitative approach was adopted, with data collected through surveys administered to diverse participants aged 18 to 23. The findings revealed a significant positive correlation between high self-esteem and effective conflict management, highlighting that individuals with higher self-esteem demonstrated greater emotional stability and confidence in resolving disputes. Additionally, these individuals exhibited higher levels of interpersonal reactivity, specifically in empathetic concern and perspective-taking, compared to those with lower self-esteem. Enhanced self-esteem was shown to improve one’s capacity to navigate interpersonal conflicts while maintaining empathy, suggesting its critical role in both personal and professional settings. These insights offer valuable directions for interventions, such as self-esteem enhancement workshops, which can be implemented in organizational and educational contexts to strengthen teamwork and conflict resolution capabilities. This research contributes to understanding how psychological constructs like self-esteem shape social interactions, providing a basis for strategies to nurture both individual and collective growth.