Since conflict management problems strongly forecasts relationship dissolution (e.g. Gottman, 1993), identifying factors that antecede such difficulties has important implications for clinical practice. While scientists have long asserted that exposure to negative conflict tactics within the family system is predictive of later adult relationship problems, it is also true that not all individuals with such a history develop difficulties. In the current study, we take the position that conflict routines within the family system are important, but also assert that how individuals currently interpret these, and other, experiences with caregivers will play a strong mediating role in explaining relations between family conflict experiences and current conflict management behavior with a romantic partner. We predict that family conflict experiences (i.e., what respondents say regarding their histories) will not predict our criterion as how respondents linguistically articulate experiences within the family system (i.e., what respondents show regarding their histories). We conceptualize such mental/linguistic representations as cognitive working models of attachment (WMA) (e.g., Main, Kaplan & Cassidy, 1985). It is hypothesized that WMA will mediate relations between family conflict experiences and current conflict management behavior with a romantic partner, and we argue that such relations will remain relatively unaffected when controlling for other variables thought to influence conflict management behavior (e.g. personally dimensions; psychological functioning). It is also stipulated that the effects of WMA will be moderated by partner WMA in explaining conflict management behavior. To accomplish these goals, we plan to assess WMA (as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview), family conflict experiences, and personality/psychological functioning in 150 respondents with a romantic partner. In addition to assessing partner WMA, couples will be observed interacting in a """"""""waiting room"""""""" setting as well as a context where the couple is instructed to resolve a salient disagreement. Support for the study hypotheses would indicate that changing an individual's current thinking about family experiences may be necessary before teaching distressed couples conflict management skills in a therapeutic setting.
