The Relationship between Pragmatic Awareness in Elders and their Utilization of Conflict Strategies in Inter-generational Family Conflicts
Chen Cai, Heng HU

Abstract
This study investigates the pragmatic awareness and utilization of conflict strategies among a cohort of 128 Chinese elderly individuals in the context of inter-generational conflict, employing methods such as questionnaires and interviews. The findings are as follows: (1) A paradoxical relationship emerges in the pragmatic awareness and utilization of conflict strategies among the elderly in family inter-generational conflict. While they exhibit an awareness of maintaining personal positive face, there is a lack of proactive behavior in upholding it. (2) The deployment of conflict strategies by the elderly aligns with the semantic characteristics of the conflict situation. Notably, when confronted with material conflicts, their conflict perception and utilization of conflict strategies intensify. (3) The pragmatic awareness of the elderly in family inter-generational conflict demonstrates varying regression effects on the utilization of conflict strategies, with the degree of influence being constrained by the specific conflict context. The study results underscore that the employment of conflict strategies by the elderly is a complex cognitive process, representing the synergistic outcome of internal cognitive factors and external environmental influences.

Full Text: PDF