Understanding Conflict: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Latin America, China and Europe (2024-2025)

This project team investigated how individuals from different cultural backgrounds experience and resolve conflict, with a focus on Latin America, a region often underrepresented in existing research. Previous studies have largely centered on Western and East Asian societies, highlighting values such as autonomy and confrontation avoidance in the West and collectivism and harmony in East Asia. By surveying participants in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, and comparing their responses to those from Ukraine, the United States, and China, the team sought to fill gaps in existing research by analyzing firsthand accounts of conflicts, asking not just how they were resolved but also what kinds of relationships and contexts gave rise to them.

The findings showed clear cultural distinctions in conflict experiences and resolutions. Latin American participants, shaped by honor-based norms, frequently reported unresolved workplace disputes with authority figures, often over material concerns such as pay or promotions. These conflicts were rarely resolved in integrative ways. European Americans, by contrast, described conflicts with authority rooted in autonomy but tended to avoid direct confrontation in resolution. Meanwhile, Chinese participants emphasized group cohesion, with conflicts often occurring among peers. Their collectivist orientation encouraged face-saving strategies and led to more integrative, collaborative outcomes.

The interdisciplinary and multicultural composition of the team strengthened the study by combining expertise in psychology, political science, economics and sociology with fluency in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. This diversity allowed researchers to design a nuanced coding system that preserved cultural meaning across languages and perspectives. Although collaboration required extensive negotiation and revisions to ensure consistency, it improved the reliability of the findings while helping team members sharpen skills in research design, data analysis and cross-cultural communication. Together, the outcomes provide a foundation for culturally informed approaches to conflict resolution and highlight the need to broaden research beyond the commonly studied Western and East Asian contexts.

Timing

Fall 2024 – Summer 2025

Team Outputs

Understanding Conflict Resolution Across Cultures (Poster presentation at the Fortin Foundation Bass Connections Showcase, April 16, 2025)

Comparison data on conflict in Latin America