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Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI)3

Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) Test

In 3 minutes, see how you and your partner respond to conflict under stress across four common styles. Get clear, actionable insights to spot unhelpful patterns and build healthier communication.

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Questions: 163 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

18,078 views

2,016 completions

1,650 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

3/5

Accommodating Style (AS)

Measures the tendency to agree and concede in order to prevent or de-escalate conflict.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.5: Low | 1.6 – 3.3: Moderate | 3.4 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate accommodating style, suggesting you sometimes prioritize harmony through agreement while still maintaining some room to voice concerns.

example score

3/5

Withdrawal Style (WS)

Measures the tendency to withdraw from communication and avoid discussing conflict during disagreements.

Low distancing

Moderate distancing

High distancing

1 – 1.5: Low distancing | 1.6 – 3.5: Moderate distancing | 3.6 – 5: High distancing

A score of 3 indicates a moderate tendency to disengage at times, which may reduce opportunities to address issues directly but is not consistently avoidant.

example score

3/5

Engagement Style (ES)

Measures how strongly a person tends to respond to conflict with emotionally charged engagement such as criticism, hostility, and escalation attempts toward the partner.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 1.4: Low | 1.5 – 3.4: Moderate | 3.5 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate tendency to engage in conflict with elevated emotion or criticism, which may sometimes intensify disagreements while still reflecting active involvement.

example score

3/5

Positive Style (PS)

Measures how consistently a person approaches relationship conflicts with responsibility, constructive dialogue, and compromise-seeking.

Low

Moderate

High

1 – 2.9: Low | 3 – 3.9: Moderate | 4 – 5: High

A score of 3 indicates a moderate tendency to use constructive, compromise-oriented behaviors during conflicts, though this approach may not be consistent across situations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Couples in recurring fights

44%OF USERS

Partners who keep having the same arguments take it to see whether they escalate, give in, withdraw, or use constructive dialogue.

Therapy and counseling clients

33%OF USERS

People already working with a therapist or counselor use it to quickly map each partner’s conflict pattern and set goals for change.

Pre-marriage or new couples

23%OF USERS

Newly committed partners take it to compare how they handle stress and prevent unhelpful habits from forming early.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Accommodating Style (AS)

Average

3.8

Normal range

3.2 — 4.4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Detached style (Ds)

Average

3.5

Normal range

3 — 4.1

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Engaging style (Es)

Average

3.7

Normal range

3.1 — 4.3

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Positive style (Ps)

Average

3.4

Normal range

2.7 — 4.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Not at all true
- Not true
- Sometimes true, sometimes not true
- True
- Very true
- Not at all characteristic of me
- Not characteristic of me
- Sometimes characteristic, sometimes not
- Characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me
- Not at all characteristic of me
- Not characteristic of me
- Sometimes characteristic, sometimes not
- Characteristic of me
- Very characteristic of me

These are 3 of the 16 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Conflict Resolution Style Inventory, CRSI Test

Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) Test - Symptoms and Signs

behavior in conflict

family adaptation

This measure is designed to assess how partners typically respond during interpersonal disagreements. The Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) provides a brief profile of common conflict-management patterns that may be relevant in couples counseling or relationship-focused assessment.

It consists of 16 items and takes about 3 minutes to complete. Responses are intended to support discussion of four broad response tendencies (e.g., constructive/positive engagement, heightened emotional involvement, accommodation, and withdrawal/avoidance) and to help identify interaction patterns that may contribute to escalation or disengagement.

Results from the Conflict Resolution Styles Inventory (CRSI) should be interpreted in the context of clinical interview and other sources of information, rather than used as a standalone indicator of relationship functioning.

Author: Kenneth W. Thomas, Ralph H. Kilmann

Literature: Kurdek, L. A. Conflict resolution styles in gay, lesbian, heterosexual nonparent, and heterosexual parent couples. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 1994.