The relationship of argumentativeness to verbal aggression

This study investigated: (1) whether high, moderate, and low argumentatives differ in how easily they are provoked by an obstinate opponent to select verbally aggressive messages; and, (2) whether the sexes differ in preference for verbal aggression. The results indicated that persons who scored high on a measure of argumentativeness were least provoked to prefer verbal aggression. This finding supports the view that verbal aggression is mainly a result of a lack of argumentative skill. The study also found that situational variables affect the difference between the sexes in verbal aggression. Thus, earlier observations of differences in verbal aggression between the sexes may be exaggerated.