Argumentative and Aggressive Communication : Theory, Research, and Application

by Andrew S. Rancer

• ISBN13: 9780761930891
• ISBN10: 0761930892
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-28
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc

Summary

Argumentative and Aggressive Communication: Theory, Research, and Application is the first text to describe the development, history, research, and application efforts on the communication traits of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Authors Andrew S. Rancer and Theodore A. Avtgis include a collection of nine widely used reliable and valid scales which the reader, the researcher, and the practitioner can use for diagnostic and research purposes. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
The Structure and Origin of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 1
What Are Argumentative and Aggressive Communication?	p. 3
The Genesis of the Theory of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 6
Purpose of This Book	p. 7
The Importance of Communication Traits	p. 8
What Are Communication Traits?	p. 10
What Is Aggressive Communication?	p. 12
Constructive Aggressive Communication Traits	p. 14
Categories of Trait Argumentativeness	p. 17
Destructive Aggressive Communication Traits	p. 18
Causes of Verbal Aggressiveness	p. 25
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication Traits and Personality Theory	p. 29
The Dimensions of Personality	p. 30
The Relationship Between Temperament and Aggressive Communication Traits	p. 33
Conclusion	p. 34
Discussion Questions for Chapter 1	p. 35
Measuring Individual Differences in Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 37
Measuring the Argumentative and Verbal Aggressiveness Traits	p. 38
The Development of the Argumentativeness Scale	p. 39
The Development of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale	p. 43
Challenges to the Scales	p. 46
Critiques of the Argumentativeness Scale	p. 46
The Dimensionality of the Argumentativeness Scale	p. 50
Critiques of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale	p. 51
Alternative Methods of Assessing Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 53
Measuring the Affective-Behavioral-Cognitive Dimensions of Argumentativeness: The ABCAS Instrument	p. 56
Assessing Argumentative and Verbally Aggressive Communication Activity	p. 57
Indirect Interpersonal Aggressiveness	p. 59
Assessing Beliefs About Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 60
Conclusion	p. 62
Discussion Questions for Chapter 2	p. 63
Trait, State, and Interactionist Approaches to Studying Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 65
The Trait Perspective on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 56
The Situationist Perspective on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 68
Situational Factors: Topic and Topic Salience	p. 69
Situational Factor: The Adversary's Attributes	p. 70
Argument Topic	p. 73
Context and Characteristics as Situational Influences	p. 75
The Interactionist Approach to Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 76
Conclusion	p. 82
Discussion Questions for Chapter 3	p. 84
The Function of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 85
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Relational and Family Contexts	p. 87
Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness in General Interpersonal Relationships	p. 87
Friendship Relationships	p. 88
Dating Relationships	p. 90
Family Relationships	p. 92
Marital Relationships	p. 93
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Interspousal Violence	p. 96
Sibling Pairs	p. 99
Parent-Child Dyads	p. 102
Conclusion	p. 107
Discussion Questions for Chapter 4	p. 108
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Organizational Contexts	p. 109
The Theory of Independent-Mindedness	p. 110
Organizational Satisfaction	p. 114
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Satisfaction	p. 114
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Gender Differences in the Organization	p. 117
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Other Organizational Constructs	p. 119
Conclusion	p. 123
Discussion Questions for Chapter 5	p. 124
Argumentative and Verbally Aggressive Communication in Instructional Contexts	p. 125
The Influence of Instructor Trait Argumentativeness	p. 127
The Influence of Instructor Trait Verbal Aggressiveness	p. 132
The Influence of Instructor Trait Argumentativeness and Trait Verbal Aggressiveness	p. 134
The Influence of Instructor Use of Verbally Aggressive Messages	p. 139
Characteristics of the Argumentative Student	p. 142
Conclusion	p. 143
Discussion Questins for Chapter 6	p. 144
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Intercultural and Intracultural Contexts	p. 145
Co-cultural Differences in Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness	p. 146
Regional Differences in Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness	p. 148
West Meets West	p. 150
East Meets West	p. 152
Conclusion	p. 155
Discussion Questions for Chapter 7	p. 156
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Mass and Mediated Communication Contexts	p. 157
Social Learning, the Media, and Aggression	p. 158
Television Situation Comedies	p. 160
Comparing Sitcoms to Other Television Genres	p. 165
Televised Wrestling	p. 167
Music	p. 169
Other Mediated Communication Research	p. 170
Conclusion	p. 171
Discussion Questions for Chapter 8	p. 173
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Persuasion and Social Influence Situations	p. 175
An Orientation to Persuasion	p. 177
An Orientation to Compliance Gaining	p. 178
Persuasion and Compliance-Gaining Research: A Focus on Traits	p. 180
A Transactional Approach to Argumentativeness and Persuasion	p. 180
Processing Persuasive Messages: The Influence of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 182
Reacting to Verbal Aggression: The Role of Self-Esteem and Information Processing	p. 186
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Compliance-Gaining Behavior	p. 187
Determining Intentions to Argue: Testing Two Frameworks	p. 191
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication and Resistance to Persuasion	p. 193
Conclusion	p. 196
Discussion Questions for Chapter 9	p. 197
Enhancing Communicative Outcomes Through Improved Understanding of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication Processes	p. 199
Modifying Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 201
The Call for Training	p. 202
The Inventional System	p. 202
Training Adults to Argue Constructively	p. 203
Training in Argument	p. 207
Training Adolescents to Argue Constructively	p. 208
Conclusion	p. 214
Discussion Questions for Chapter 10	p. 216
Relating Argumentative and Aggressive Communication With Apprehension, Adaptation, and Personality Traits	p. 217
The Relationship of Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Apprehension Traits	p. 219
The Relationship of Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Adaptation Traits	p. 221
The Relationship of Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Personality Traits	p. 227
Conclusion	p. 236
Discussion Questions for Chapter 11	p. 237
Advancing Research and Theory-Building Efforts on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 239
A Problem-Centered Approach to Communication Inquiry	p. 240
The Research Contributions	p. 242
A Focus on the Message and Individual	p. 243
Cultural Influence Focus	p. 247
Theoretical Foundation and Meta-Theory Focus	p. 250
Measurement and Theoretical Refinement Focus	p. 252
Conclusion	p. 253
Discussion Questions for Chapter 12	p. 254
The Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales	p. 255
The Adolescent Argumentativeness and Adolescent Verbal Aggressiveness Scales	p. 259
Short-Form Versions of the Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales	p. 263
The Affective-Behavioral-Cognitive Scale (ABCAS)	p. 267
The Indirect Interpersonal Aggressiveness Scale	p. 269
The Beliefs About Arguing Measure	p. 271
Additional Resources on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication	p. 273
References	p. 279
Index	p. 303
About the Authors	p. 321
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