Study of medicine students' behavioral strategies in interpersonal conflicts on their first years of education

This article presents theoretical calculations that were used as a base of an empirical study of behavior that medicine students demonstrate in interpersonal conflicts on their first years of medicinal education. Behavior in the situation of a conflict is the important part of professional ethics and an important skill for a doctor, because doctors interact with patients and colleagues on daily basis; so the study was made to analyze the differences in behavioral strategies of different specialties students when in interpersonal conflict. The study was based on a five strategies concept by K.U. Thomas and R.H. Kilmann. In the article only the first year students are described, but the further research is already planned to track the dynamics of a phenomenon on the different stages of future doctors’ professional becoming. The results of a study are also presented. Also, there is a comparative analysis of behavioral strategies of different specialties students, such as dentists, therapists and pediatricians; there are important differences in their behavior in a situation of a conflict, on the first year of education already. There is also a comparative analysis of those specialties students by a gender; there are important differences, too.