Conflict in Supervision

Conflict is an inevitable part of graduate supervision. The supervisory relationship is complex, involving power differentials, high stakes, competing expectations, and the intertwining of intellectual and personal identities. Supervisors and students may clash over timelines, writing quality, methodological choices, or the very nature of research itself. Committees may disagree, creating tension that reverberates back to the student. Departments may impose regulations that conflict with the lived realities of a project.