Aggressive Communication Traits Research Articles

The Relationship Between Aggressive Communication Traits and Organizational Assimilation

This study used theory of independent mindedness as a framework to examine the role of aggressive communication traits in organizational assimilation. Both employee traits and their perception of supervisor traits were examined. Results indicated that employees who are indirect verbally aggressive report lower levels of familiarity with coworkers, acculturation, involvement, job competence, and role negotiation. Additionally, employees who perceive their supervisors as higher in argumentativeness, low in verbal aggressiveness, and low in indirect interpersonal aggressiveness report higher levels of familiarity with coworkers, familiarity with supervisors, acculturation, recognition, involvement, and role negotiation.

The Role of Student Aggressive Communication Traits in the Perception of Instructor Ideological Bias in the Classroom

Research indicates that Americans believe instructor political bias to be a serious problem in the college classroom, as many professors are considered a liberal elite. In light of scholarship suggesting that characteristics students bring with them to the classroom may influence their perception of instructor communication behaviors, the present study explores the role student aggressive communication traits play in students' dispositional inferences of their instructors holding an ideological bias and how students react to that inference in the college classroom. Results reveal that students' verbal aggressiveness predicts their perceptions of instructor ideological bias, whereas students' argumentativeness predicts their reactions to instructor ideological bias. Pedagogical implications and areas for future research are discussed.

The Relationships between Driver Anger and Aggressive Communication Traits

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between college students’ level of driver anger and their aggressive communication traits. Driving anger is an individual's tendency to become angry while driving. In 1994 the driving anger scale (DAS) identified six dimensions of driver anger: hostile gestures, illegal driving, police presence, slow driving, discourtesy, and traffic obstructions. Results of Pearson correlations show that police presence, slow driving, discourteous driving, and traffic obstructions were positively related to all of the aggressive communication traits. “Hostile gestures” was related to assertiveness. Illegal driving was related to indirect verbal aggression and assertiveness.

Aggressive communication and informational reception apprehension: The influence of listening anxiety and intellectual inflexibility on trait argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness

Recent training efforts designed to strengthen student argumentation skills and decrease verbally aggressive tendencies have yielded mixed results (Rancer et al., 1997, 2000). Inherent in these efforts is the belief that an individual's use of verbal aggression is implicitly related to law argumentative behavior and a weak system for generating arguments (Infante, 1988). As an extension of this research, we examined the relationships among trait‐like argumentativeness (Infante & Rancer, 1982), trait‐like verbal aggressiveness (Infante & Wigley, 1986) (VA), and Wheeless, Preiss, and Gayle's (1997) construct of informational reception apprehension (IRA). Results indicated that two IRA factors, listening anxiety and intellectual inflexibility, were significant predictors of both aggressive communication traits. Further, both IRA factors accounted for greater variance in trait‐like argumentativeness than in trait‐like VA. Implications of these findings as they relate to Infante's (1987) “argumentative skill deficiency model,” as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

Examining the Relationship between Organizational Dissent and Aggressive Communication

The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which individual differences, in general, and aggressive communication traits, in particular, influenced employees’dissent strategy selections. Employees completed self-report instruments describing their levels of verbal aggressiveness, argumentativeness, and how they chose to express dissent concerning organizational practices and policies. Results indicated that argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, and organizational position predicted articulated and latent dissent use. Results also indicated that individual differences did not predict the use of displaced dissent.

Aggressive communication traits: How similar are young adults and their parents in argumentativeness, assertiveness, and verbal aggressiveness

As a step in learning more about aggressive communication in families, this study investigated the similarities between three aggressive communication traits (argumentativeness, assertiveness, and verbal aggressiveness) of young adults and their parents. College students (N = 160) and their parents (N = 320) completed measures of their aggressive traits. Results showed that similarities existed between mothers and their daughters and sons for all three traits; however, no significant relationships between fathers and their daughters and sons for the traits were found.

Argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness as a function of locus of control

This study examined argumentativeness, verbal aggressiveness, and general control expectancies. Two hundred ten (N=210) participants completed the Argumentativeness Scale, the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale, and a modified version of the Three‐Factor Locus of Control Scale. Results indicate that individuals who reportan internal control orientation were found toreport lower levels of argument avoidance than externals. Externals reported higher levels of verbal aggressiveness than internals. Further, an external locus of control orientation was positively related to verbal aggressiveness. Internal locus of control orientation was negatively related to tendency to avoid arguments. The findings provide further evidence into the relationship between control expectancies and aggressive communication traits.