Toxic Friendship: The Role of Emotion Regulation and Interpersonal Communication on Perceived Conflict

Abstract

Students can generally view conflict positively or negatively. However, a negative view of conflict can trigger division, bullying, and even murder. This study aims to examine the influence of emotion regulation and interpersonal communication on students' perceptions of friendship conflicts. The research method uses a quantitative approach with multiple linear regression. The sampling technique was conducted incidentally, involving 360 psychology students at a state university in Semarang. The instruments used in the study included the friendship conflict perception scale, the emotion regulation scale, and the interpersonal communication scale. The results showed a significant effect (p = 0.000, p < 0.05) of emotion regulation and interpersonal communication on the perception of friendship conflict, with an effect size of 11.3%. These findings show the importance of efforts or interventions to build positive social relationships among students. Keywords: perception of friendship conflict, regulation of emotions, interpersonal communication