Arguments, Aggression, and Conflict: New Directions in Theory and Research

449 Pages·2010·3.344 MB·English

by  Theodore A. Avtgis and Andrew S. Rancer

Arguments, Aggression,
and Conflict
Arguments, Aggression, and Conflict: New Directions in Theory and Research provides
a thorough examination of argumentative and aggressive communication. Editors
Theodore A. Avtgis and Andrew S. Rancer bring together a score of prolific and
informed authors to discuss aspects of the conceptualization and measurement of
aggressive communication. The book features an exclusive focus on two “aggressive
communication” traits: Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness, one of the most
dominant areas of communication research over the last twenty-five years both nation-
ally and internationally. The chapters include cutting-edge issues in the field and present
new ideas for future research.
This book is a valuable resource for instructors, researchers, scholars, theorists, and
graduate students in communication studies and social psychology. Covering a variety of
topics, from the broad-based (e.g., new directions in aggressive communication in the
organizational context) to the more specific (e.g., verbal aggression in sports), this text
presents a comprehensive compilation of essays on aggressive communication and
conflict.
Theodore A. Avtgis (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1999) is Associate Professor of Com-
munication at West Virginia University. Among several awards, he was recognized as one
of the Top Twelve Most Productive Researchers in the field of Communication Studies
(between 1996 and 2001) and recognized as a member of the World Council on Hellenes
Abroad, USA Region of American Academics. Dr. Avtgis is co-author of four books,
including Argumentative and Aggressive Communication (2006). He serves on the
editorial boards of Argument and Advocacy, Communication Research Reports, Human
Communication, and Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, among others.
He is also co-founder of Medical Communication Specialists.
Andrew S. Rancer (Ph.D., Kent State University, 1979) is Professor of Communication at
the University of Akron. He has served as editor of Communication Research Reports
(1999–2001) and the Massachusetts Communication Journal (1981). Among several
honors, he is the recipient of the Eastern Communication Association’s Past Presidents/
Officers Award (1989) and Distinguished Research Fellow Award (1997) and was a member
of ECA’s Committee of Scholars (1989–1990). He has published articles in Communica-
tion Monographs, Human Communication Research, Communication Education, Com-
munication Quarterly, and Communication Research Reports, among others. He is the
co-author of four books, including Argumentative and Aggressive Communication (2006).

Arguments, Aggression,
and Conflict
New Directions in Theory and Research
Edited by Theodore A. Avtgis and
Andrew S. Rancer
First published 2010
by Routledge
270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.
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© 2010 Taylor & Francis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
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invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
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Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Arguments, aggression, and conflict : new directions in theory and
research/edited by Theodore A. Avtgis, Andrew S. Rancer.
p. cm.
1. Aggressiveness. 2. Communication. 3. Interpersonal
communication. 4. Interpersonal conflict. I. Avtgis,
Theodore A. II. Rancer, Andrew S.
HM1116.A74 2010
303.601—dc22 2009039697
ISBN 0-203-85542-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN10: 0–415–99639–2 (hbk)
ISBN10: 0–415–99641–4 (pbk)
ISBN10: 0–203–85542–6 (ebk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–99639–6 (hbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–415–99641–9 (pbk)
ISBN13: 978–0–203–85542–3 (ebk)
This book is dedicated to
Dominic A. Infante
Mentor, Colleague, and Friend

Contents
Preface x
List of Contributors xiii
SECTION I
Conceptualization and Operationalization
of Argumentative and Aggressive Communication 1
1 Verbal Aggressiveness as an Expression of Selected
Biological Influences 3
MICHAEL J. BEATTY AND MICHELLE E. PENCE
2 Verbal Aggression and Prefrontal Cortex Asymmetry 26
ALAN D. HEISEL
3 Aggressive Communication: A Life Span Perspective 44
KEVIN B. WRIGHT AND ELIZABETH A. CRAIG
4 Measuring Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness:
Psychometric Concerns and Advances 67
TIMOTHY R. LEVINE AND MICHAEL R. KOTOWSKI
5 Exploring Constructive Aggressive Communication in China:
Its Cultural Roots, Strategies, and New Developments 82
YANG LIN, JIANGUO ZHAO, AND FENGMING ZHAO
6 Culture and Aggressive Communication 100
ANNE MAYDAN NICOTERA AND NICOLE M. ROBINSON
viii Contents
7 Global Communicator: Understanding the Role of Verbal
Aggressiveness and Argumentativeness in
International Negotiations 124
JILL E. RUDD AND DIANA R. LAWSON
SECTION II
Contextual Research on Argumentative, Aggressive,
and Conflict Communication 137
8 Student Aggressive Communication in the K-12 Classroom:
Bullying and Conflict 139
SCOTT A. MYERS AND CHRISTINE E. RITTENOUR
9 Reconsidering the Role of Aggressive Communication in
Higher Education 159
PAUL SCHRODT AND AMBER N. FINN
10 Media Entertainment and Verbal Aggression: Content, Effects,
and Correlates 177
REBECCA M. CHORY
11 Cyberbullying: Aggressive Communication in the Digital Age 198
ANTHONY J. ROBERTO AND JEN EDEN
12 Aggressive Communication in Political Contexts 217
JOHN S. SEITER AND ROBERT H. GASS
13 Aggressive Communication within Medical Care: Mapping
the Domain 241
THEODORE A. AVTGIS AND E. PHILLIPS POLACK
14 Trash Talk and Beyond: Aggressive Communication in the
Context of Sports 253
JEFFREY W. KASSING AND JIMMY SANDERSON
15 Nonverbal “Verbal” Aggression: Its Forms and Its Relation to
Trait Verbal Aggressiveness 267
ANDREW S. RANCER, YANG LIN, JAMES M. DURBIN, AND
EMILY C. FAULKNER
Contents ix
16 The Dark Side of Organizational Life: Aggressive Expression in
the Workplace 285
THEODORE A. AVTGIS AND REBECCA M. CHORY
17 Aggressive Communication and Conflict in Small Groups 305
CAROLYN M. ANDERSON AND MILI BANERJEE
18 Aggressive Expression within the Family: Effects on Processes
and Outcomes 318
SALLY VOGL-BAUER
19 The Interactionist Model of Teasing Communication 340
RACHEL L. DICIOCCIO
SECTION III
Factors Influencing Arguments, Aggression, and
Conflict Communication 357
20 Tolerance for Disagreement 359
VIRGINIA P. RICHMOND AND JAMES C. MCCROSKEY
21 Taking Conflict Personally and its Connections
with Aggressiveness 372
DALE HAMPLE AND IOANA A. CIONEA
22 Verbal Trigger Events—Other Catalysts and Precursors
of Aggression 388
CHARLES J. WIGLEY III
23 The Instrumental Use of Verbally Aggressive Messages 400
MATTHEW M. MARTIN, KATIE NEARY DUNLEAVY, AND
CARRIE D. KENNEDY-LIGHTSEY
Index 417