Some Effects of Role Conflict Source on the Experience of Role Conflict

A group of 176 undergraduates participated in a role-playing laboratory experiment that explored the effects of intersender and intrasender role conflict on experienced role stress. Each role sender's power (control over valued resources and outcomes) and importance (desire to meet the sender's expectations) were measured. For intrasender conflict only, role sender power was positively associated with upset over the conflict, whereas role sender importance was negatively associated with upset.