Power, anxiety, and conflict: how dominative and cooperative orientations shape attitudes toward international relations

Introduction This study examines the associations between dominative and cooperative power orientations and individuals’ attitudes toward international conflict, with national security anxiety serving as a mediating variable. Methods Based on a survey of 393 Chinese university students, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed framework. Results The results show that (1) dominative power orientation positively predicts national security anxiety, which in turn increases support for militarized responses; (2) cooperative power orientation reduces security anxiety and enhances preference for diplomatic and peaceful approaches; and (3) national security anxiety plays a significant mediating role between power orientation and conflict attitudes. Discussion This research bridges international relations theory and political psychology by revealing how power beliefs shape emotional and attitudinal processes at the individual level. The findings also provide practical implications for national security education and public communication, encouraging a more balanced and cooperative understanding of power and security among youth. This study examines the associations between dominative and cooperative power orientations and individuals’ attitudes toward international conflict, with national security anxiety serving as a mediating variable. Based on a survey of 393 Chinese university students, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to test the proposed framework. The results show that (1) a dominative power orientation positively predicts national security anxiety, which in turn increases support for militarized responses; (2) a cooperative power orientation reduces security anxiety and enhances preference for diplomatic and peaceful approaches; and (3) national security anxiety plays a significant mediating role between power orientation and conflict attitudes. Theoretically, this research bridges international relations theory and political psychology by revealing how power beliefs shape emotional and attitudinal processes at the individual level. Practically, the findings provide valuable implications for national security education and public communication, encouraging a more balanced and cooperative understanding of power and security among youth.