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Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
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Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
Theory, Research, and Application



336 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
Research and study in argumentative communication has been one of the most dominant lines of communication research for the past two decades.

Argumentative and Aggressive Communication is the first book entirely devoted to the theory-building, research and application issues on aggressive communication.

In addition to fully describing the two predispositions and their measurement, it synthesizes the large corpus of research in several communication contexts, including family, organizational, intercultural, instructional and mediated contexts. It provides prescriptions for managing aggressive communication in these contexts. A final chapter provides conclusions drawn from this literature, as well as offers suggestions for future work on aggressive communication.

 
Part I: The Structure and Origin of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
 
1. What are Argumentative and Aggressive Communication?
The Genesis of the Theory of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Purpose of This Book

 
The Importance of Communication Traits

 
What are Communication Traits?

 
What is Aggressive Communication?

 
Constructive Aggressive Communication Traits

 
Categories of Trait Argumentativeness

 
Destructive Aggressive Communication Traits

 
Causes of Verbal Aggressiveness

 
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication Traits and Personality Theory

 
The Dimensions of Personality

 
The Relationship Between Temperament and Aggressive Communication Traits

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 1

 
 
2. Measuring Individual Differences in Argumentative and Agressive Communication
Measuring the Argumentative and Verbal Aggressiveness Traits

 
The Development of the Argumentative Scale

 
The Development of the Verbal Aggressivness Scale

 
Challenges to the Scales

 
Critiques of the Argumentativeness Scale

 
Critiques of the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale

 
Alternative Methods of Assessing Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Assessing Beliefs About Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 2

 
 
3. Trait, State, and Interactionist Approaches to Studying Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
The Trait Perspective on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
The Situationist Perspective on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Situational Factors: Topic and Topic Salience

 
Situational Factors: The Adversary's Attributes

 
Argument Topic

 
Context and Characteristics as Situational Influences

 
The Interactionist Approach to Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 3

 
 
Part II: The Function of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
 
4. Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Relational and Family Contexts
Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness in General Interpersonal Relationships

 
Friendship Relationships

 
Dating Relationships

 
Family Relationships

 
Marital Relationships

 
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness, and Interspousal Violence

 
Sibling Pairs

 
Parent-Child Dyads

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 4

 
 
5. Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Organizational Contexts
Organizational Satisfaction

 
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Satisfaction

 
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Gender Differences in the Organization

 
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Other Organizational Constructs

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 5

 
 
6. Argumentative and Verbally Aggressive Communication in Instructional Contexts
The Influence of Instructor Trait Argumentativeness

 
The Influence of Instructor Trait Verbal Aggressiveness

 
The Influence of Instructor Use of Verbally Aggressive Messages

 
Characteristics of the Argumentative Student

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 6

 
 
7. Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Intercultural and Intracultural Contexts
Co-Cultural Differences in Argumentative and Verbal Aggressiveness

 
Regional Differences in Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness

 
West Meets West

 
East Meets West

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 7

 
 
8. Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Mass and Mediated Communication
Social Learning, the Media and Aggression

 
Television Situation Comedies

 
Comparing Sitcoms to Other Television Genres

 
Televised Wrestling

 
Music

 
Other Mediated Communication Research

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 8

 
 
9. Argumentative and Aggressive Communication in Persuasion and Social Influence Situations
An Orientation to Persuasion

 
An Orientation to Compliance-Gaining

 
Persuasion and Compliance-Gaining Research: A focus on Traits

 
A Transactional Approach to Argumentativeness and Persuasion

 
Processing Persuasive Messages: The Influence of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication

 
Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Compliance-Gaining Behavior

 
Determining Intentions to Argue: Testing Two Frameworks

 
Argumentative and Aggressive Communication and Resistance to Persuasion

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 9

 
 
Part III: Enhancing Communicative Outcomes Through Improved Understanding of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication Processes
 
10. Modifying Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
The Call for Training

 
The Inventional System

 
Training Adults to Argue Constructively

 
Training in Argument

 
Training Adolescents to Argue Constructively

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 10

 
 
11. Relating Argumentative and Aggressive Communication with Apprehension, Adaptation and Personality Traits
The Relationship of Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Apprehension Traits

 
The Relationship of Argumentativeness, Verbal Aggressiveness and Personality Traits

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 11

 
 
12. Advancing Research and Theory-Building Efforts on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
A Problem-Centered Approach to Communication Inquiry

 
The Research Contributions

 
A Focus on the Message/Individual

 
Cultural Influence Focus

 
Theoretical Foundation/Meta-Theory Focus

 
Measurement/Theoretical Refinement Focus

 
Conclusion

 
Discussion Questions for Chapter 12

 
 
Appendix A - The Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales
 
Appendix B - The Adolescent Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales
 
Appendix C - Short-Form Versions of the Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness Scales
 
Appendix D - The Affective-Behavioral-Cognitive Scale (ABCAS)
 
Appendix E - The Indirect Interpersonal Aggressiveness Scale
 
Appendix F - The Beliefs About Arguing Measure
 
Appendix G - Additional Resources on Argumentative and Aggressive Communication
 
References
 
Index

"This is the first book to discuss the history, research and application of the positive and deleterious communication traits of argumentation and verbal aggressiveness. The handbook's clear style makes it accessible to any intelligent, motivated, critically analytical reader or educated layperson: from undergraduates and graduates, to teachers and researchers on any level, to those in the applied world, such as practicing psychologists and, of course counselors, managers, and politicians. Even secondary and tertiary school teachers ought to convey certain information to their students to prepare them for life."

Karl H. Wolf
Contemporary Psychology: APA Review of Books

An ideal for writing thesis in emotion and communication field.

Dr Chavi Chen
IESEG, School of Management, Catholic University of Lille
April 27, 2012

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 1

Chapter 4

Chapter 10


Andrew S. Rancer

Andrew S. Rancer (Ph.D., Kent State University) is professor of communication at The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. He teaches communication theory, communication research, nonverbal communication, training methods in communication, and personality and communication to both undergraduate and M.A. students. Andrew's research focuses on the role of argumentative and verbally aggressive communication and other personality traits across a wide variety of contexts. He has published in Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Communication Education, Communication Quarterly, the Journal of Intercultural Communication Research... More About Author

Theodore Alexander Avtgis

Theodore A. Avtgis (Ph.D., Kent State University) is an associate professor of communication at West Virginia University. He teaches research methods, communication theory, organizational communication, interpersonal communication, training and development, communication personality, and small group communication. Ted's research focuses on the impact of personality on relationships and relational outcomes. More specifically, the influence of argumentative and aggressive communication in the workplace and within the family. He has published in Communication Education, Management Communication Quarterly, Communication Research Reports, among... More About Author

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