Designing a Qurʾan-Based Exaltation-Oriented Conflict Management Model (ETCM) for Social Interactions: A Critique of the Theoretical Foundations of the Thomas–Kilmann Model (TKI)

Imanifar, Hamid Reza

doi:10.22034/arq.2026.252004

Designing a Qurʾan-Based Exaltation-Oriented Conflict Management Model (ETCM) for Social Interactions: A Critique of the Theoretical Foundations of the Thomas–Kilmann Model (TKI)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

hamid reza imanifar

Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/arq.2026.252004

Abstract

Conflict management is one of the key components of social and organizational psychology. However, classical models such as the Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI), owing to their reliance on instrumental rationality, conceive of human beings merely as calculating agents who weigh costs and benefits and are therefore incapable of accounting for transcendent dimensions. The present study, aimed at critiquing the foundations of the TKI model and designing an Exaltation-Oriented Conflict Management Model (ETCM) based on the Holy Qur’an, employs a qualitative content analysis method with a deductive-inductive approach. The findings indicate that, within the epistemological system of revelation, conflict is not a behavioral dead end but rather a context for “trial” (ibtalāʾ) and existential advancement. The proposed ETCM model is organized into 12 strategic levels and four principal axes: (1) Perception Engineering: based on clarification, discernment, and the preservation of boundaries to safeguard cognitive foundations; (2) Emotional Discipline: the management of immediate impulses through restraint of anger, steadfast endurance, and attentive listening; (3) Relationship Restoration: the rebuilding of relationships through gentle speech, sincere counsel, and gracious forgiveness; and (4) Transcendent Agency: attaining the pinnacle of guardianship (wilāyah) and benevolence through concealing faults and responding in the best manner. Comparative findings indicate that, unlike material models whose ultimate goal is the temporary resolution of a problem, the ETCM model moves beyond win-win logic toward a logic of self-sacrifice and grace, transforming conflict into a catalyst for personality development and converting enmity into “guardianship and benevolence.”

Keywords

Holy Qur&‌‌rsquo

Exaltation-Oriented Conflict Management Model (ETCM)

Thomas-Kilmann Instrument (TKI)

Instrumental rationality

Subjects

social Sciences

The Holy Qur’an

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