"Argumentative and Aggressive Communication is an excellent balance between research and application. This fits with the tradition of having high concern for application in the field of communication, and leaning on strong research to guide that application." —James C. McCroskey, West Virginia University   "The thoroughness of coverage that this book devotes to perhaps the most important research area in communication today provides students with amazing insight into conflict, argumentativeness, aggressiveness, and a variety of other concepts and skills central to communication!" —Joseph A. DeVito, Hunter College of the City University of New York   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 instruments which the reader, the researcher, and the practitioner can use for diagnostic and research purposes.   Key Features: Discusses the origin and structure of argumentative and aggressive communication: The book completely describes the development of the argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness trait constructs.  In addition, the measurement of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness is treated in the most comprehensive way to date. Explores the function of argumentative and aggressive communication in various contexts: Guidelines are provided on how to approach conflict and disagreement across multiple contexts in a constructive fashion. This text synthesizes the large corpus of research in several areas of communication, including family, organizational, intercultural, instructional, and mediated contexts. Provides conclusions drawn from this literature: Suggestions are given for future research on argumentative and aggressive communication from ten distinguished communication scholars. Intended Audience: Written in a style accessible to undergraduates, yet comprehensive and detailed enough for graduate students and researchers, this is an ideal text for courses in Communication and Personality; Communication and Conflict; Interpersonal Communication; Social Psychology-Personality; and Psychology-Aggression.

Table of Contents:
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