The Development and Preliminary Validation of the Conflict Style Screener (COSTY).

ABSTRACT Background: Interpersonal conflicts are common in everyday life, yet individuals differ in managing them. The dual-concern model distinguishes five theory-based conflict management styles. Existing measures are often context-dependent (e.g., workplace) and lengthy, limiting feasibility for large-scale surveys and extended interviews. Methods: To address these limitations, we developed the Conflict Style Screener (COSTY), a five-item instrument capturing dominating, obliging, integrating, avoiding, and compromising with generalized (i.e., context-independent) wording. We report initial validation evidence across two German adult samples matched to national quotas for age, gender, and education. Study 1 (n = 754) examined convergent validity against an adapted German version of the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory. Study 2 (n = 1,062) further examined construct validity through associations with personal values and Big Five traits. Results: Across studies, the COSTY depicted theoretically coherent correlational patterns and meaningful correspondence with established conflict-style indicators, supporting preliminary construct validity. Results also indicated overlap among selected style factors, echoing concerns about the discriminant structure of the five-style frameworks. Discussion: The COSTY provides a brief, context-independent screening option for conflict style orientations that may facilitate inclusion in large-scale research. Further work should refine its psychometric properties and expand validation efforts. Funding Statement: This research is funded by dtec.bw – Digitalization and Technology Research Center of the Bundeswehr. dtec.bw is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.