Argumentativeness and Verbal Aggressiveness: A Review of Recent Theory and Research

Abstract

A good deal of research on argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness has been conducted in the communication discipline in this and the previous decade. The research has been based on a personality trait model that was used to conceptualize a very basic idea—that some aggressive behaviors are constructive and others are destructive. The present chapter reviews this research. The conceptualization and measurement of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness are reviewed first. Then, conclusions from the research are stated and the research relevant to the conclusions is cited. Major results are presented, along with implications. The chapter emphasizes the importance of argumentative communication. A central contention is that argumentativeness has been an approach to conceptualizing concerns of the communication discipline since antiquity, and study should continue along these lines because results suggest the impact of the communication curriculum.