The relationship between interpersonal needs and communication in conflict management style messages was investigated in a study to discover the magnitude and direction of the relationship between three interpersonal needs--inclusion, control, and affection--and three styles of conflict management messages--focus on self, focus on issue, and focus on other. Undergraduate communication students (n=225) were administered a test booklet that contained the Conflict Management Message Style Instrument, three other conflict scales, and the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior scale. A connonical correlation and followup correlations between subscales revealed the following: (1) a person who has a need to control others is self-focused in conflicts; (2) a person who has a high need for expressed affection tends to be focused on issue during conflict; (3) expressed inclusion is correlated with other focus; and (4) a person wanting others to control him or her is more concerned about the relationship in a conflict than about resolving the conflict itself. (HOD)