Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2021, Vol. ›› Issue (5): 1171-1178.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Influence of Doctor 's Trait Information and Negative Emotion Feedback on Conflict Behavior

Ai huaTAO1,Wang Pei2   

  1. 1.
    2. East China Normal University
  • Received:2019-08-12 Revised:2020-04-07 Online:2021-09-20 Published:2021-09-20
  • Contact: Wang Pei

医患冲突中医生特质信息与负性情绪反馈的作用:以失望和愤怒为例

陶爱华1,王沛2   

  1. 1. 淮阴师范大学
    2. 华东师范大学
  • 通讯作者: 王沛

Abstract: The expression of emotions play an important role in conflict resolution. When an event is incongruent with a person’s goals or positive expectancies, negative emotions such as anger and disappointment can arise. At the interpersonal level, expressing anger or disappointment at another’s behavior can thus signal the wish that the other would have behaved differently. Disappointment arises when the progress towards a goal is below expectation or when a desired outcome has not been achieved. Disappointment is associated with a lack of control over the situation and the feeling of weakness. The expression of disappointment thus signals a need for help, without assigning blame or entailing a threat of aggression. Anger is often seen as a destructive emotion, causing aggressive behavior that escalates conflicts. Several recent studies, however, seem to suggest that it can actually have positive effects, leading to conciliatory behaviors in specific situations. The way people cognitively appraise a performance situation is important because it may affect people’s levels of attack. Thus, for example, “threat” appraisals are central to interpersonal conflict. Disappointment also has an effect on the threat appraisals. Anger is elicited from the appraisal that an unfair or unjust act has been committed against oneself or one’s group. The interpersonal effect of emotions means that one’s emotions may influence the behavior of others by eliciting affective reactions in them or by triggering inferential processes. As mentioned above, Disappointment and anger play an important role in conflict resolution. Previous work has shown that negotiators tend to concede when confronted with disappointment. the express of anger reduces tendencies toward interpersonal conflict because it stresses the value of maintaining a positive long term relationship. It is this positive relational signal that increases empathy in the recipients of the communicated anger for those who communicated it. In addition, previous research has shown that trait information of the alternative offers available to the proposer can alter the decisions of the responder in interpersonal conflict. Furthermore, we postulated that this effect also occurred in conflict between doctors and patients. The impact of the trait of information and other people's emotional feedback on social decision-making under interpersonal conflict has not been investigated. Consequently, In two experiments, we used “the ultimatum game” paradigm to investigate the trait of information and other people's emotional feedback on social decision-making under conflict between doctors and patients . Results indicated that: (i) When the doctor's ability is high, compared with the low ability of doctors, the patient's threat assessment of the situation is higher. but in the doctor's disappointment feedback the result is the opposite . (ii) When the doctor is angry, compared with the low warmth of doctors, the high warmth of the patient's threat assessment is higher. (iii) When the doctor is high- warmth, compared with the low warmth of doctors, The patient's bid is higher and the conflict is less. (iiii) In the case of a high level of warmth and ability ,when there is a doctor's anger feedback the patient's bid is less than no emotional feedback. In addition, the current series of studies provide some useful strategies to resolve interpersonal conflicts. On practical implications, this research examines the social psychological mechanism underlying interpersonal conflicts in China and would help managers and administrators understand ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts.

Key words: interpersonal conflict, disappointment effect, anger effect, threat assessment, conflict behavior

摘要: 他人失望反馈和他人愤怒反馈在人际冲突解决中起着重要作用。这一情绪的人际效应在医患冲突中是否同样成立,医生的特质对这一人际效应有何影响。为此,通过两个计算机情景模拟实验,采用“最后通牒博弈”范式,分别考察了他人失望反馈与他人愤怒反馈以及医生的温情与能力特质对于医患冲突中个体威胁评价及其冲突行为的影响。结果发现:(1)医生能力高时患者对情境的威胁评价比能力低时更高,但在有医生失望反馈中医生能力高时患者对情境的威胁评价比能力低时更低。高温情的医生愤怒时患者的威胁评价比温情低时更高。(2)医生能力高时患者的出价比能力低时更高,冲突行为更少。(3)医生温情高时患者的出价比温情低时更高,冲突行为更少。(4)在温情高能力低时,有医生愤怒反馈时患者的出价相比无情绪反馈时更低。说明了医生需谨慎表达自己的情绪。相较而言,医生的能力和温情的培养更为重要。

关键词: 人际冲突, 失望效应, 愤怒效应, 威胁评价, 冲突行为