The negotiation of conflict management in long-distance and geographically close romantic relationships.

This study examines conflict management strategy use in long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs) compared to conflict management strategy use in geographically close dating relationships (GCDRs). Uncertainty Reduction Theory posits that uncertainty could be problematic for LDDRs and thus contribute to differences in conflict management styles. This study applied the conceptualization of Peterson’s (1983) conflict management strategies to the context of dating relationships. The purpose of this study was to determine differences between conflict management in LDDRs and GCDRs. This study also seeked to measure the satisfaction, commitment, and closeness felt by individuals who used each conflict management strategy. Results indicated that individuals in LDDRs and GCDRs report using the same conflict management strategies at the same rates. Thus, no differences were found in conflict management styles between couples in LDDRs and GCDRs. These results invite future exploration on the topic of LDDR conflict management.