Emotions in Conflict and Negotiation

During our lives we run into conflicts on a regular basis. Such conflicts can take place between individuals or, at a larger scale, between groups. Conflicts typically evoke strong emotions; anger, disappointment, regret and happiness have frequently been associated with conflict. Such emotions may influence the course of the conflict and its resolution. For example, anger may stress differences in opinions or interests and lead to escalation, but it can also contribute to conflict resolution by clarifying a person’s position and forcing others to compromise. The work floor is one context were conflicts easily arise, and part of our work focuses on this context. Another substantial part of our work focuses on negotiations as a way to resolve conflicts, and more specifically on the interpersonal effects of emotions on cooperation versus competition.

Sample publications:

Van Kleef, G. A., De Dreu, C. K. W., & Manstead, A. S. R. (2004). The interpersonal effects of anger and happiness in negotiations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86, 57-76.

Lelieveld, G.-J., Van Dijk, E., Van Beest, I., & Van Kleef, G. A. (2013). Does communicating disappointment in negotiations help or hurt? Solving an apparent inconsistency in the social-functional approach to emotions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105, 605-620.

Van Kleef, G. A., De Dreu, C. K. W., & Manstead, A. S. R. (2006). Supplication and appeasement in conflict and negotiation: The interpersonal effects of disappointment, worry, guilt, and regret. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 124-142.

Wang, L., Northcraft, G. B., & Van Kleef, G. A., (2012). Beyond negotiated outcomes: The hidden costs of anger expression in dyadic negotiation. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 119, 54–63.

Cohen-Chen, S., Van Kleef, G. A., Crisp, R. J., & Halperin, E. (2019). Dealing in hope: Does observing hope expressions increase conciliatory attitudes in intergroup conflict? Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 83, 102-111.

Van Kleef, G. A., & Côté, S. (2018). Emotional dynamics in conflict and negotiation: Individual, dyadic, and group processes. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 437-464.