Are Argumentative People Better or Worse at Seeing Both Sides?

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between argumentativeness and perspective taking in interpersonal conflicts. Previous research suggests that those high in argumentativeness may be more open-minded and able to see both sides of an argument than those low in argumentativeness. However, their chronic motivation to argue may lead them to respond less evenhandedly to arguments in which they possess a strong personal preference. Participants high and low in argumentativeness responded open-endedly to two conflicts differing in degree of personal preference. High argumentatives were more evenhanded in the low-preference conflict than were low argumentatives, but less evenhanded in the high-preference conflict. Results highlight the importance of underlying preferences and motivations in perspective taking, as well as the importance of underlying mechanisms for predicting situation–personality interactions.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Blickle, G. (1997). Argumentativeness and the facets of the Big Five . Psychological Reports, 81, 1379–1385 .

Frantz, C. M. (2003). I AM being fair: Naive realism and the backfiring effect of fairness motivation in conflicts. Manuscript sumitted for publication.

Frantz, C. M., & Janoff-Bulman, R. (2000). Considering both sides: The limits of perspectivetaking . Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 22, 32–41 .

Funder, D. C. (1997). The personality puzzle. New York: Norton .

Infante, D. A., & Rancer, A. S. (1982). A conceptualization and measure of argumentativeness . Journal of Personality Assessment, 46, 72–80 .

Infante, D. A., Step, M. M., & Horvath, C. L. (1997). Counterattitudinal advocacy: When high argumentatives are more persuasible . Communication Research Reports, 14, 79–87 .

Kazoleas, D. (1993). The impact of argumentativeness on resistance to persuasion . Human Communication Research, 20, 118–137 .

Martin, M. M., & Anderson, C. M. (1997). Argumentativeness in roommates’ relationships . Psychological Reports, 80, 142–142 .

Martin, M. M., Anderson, C. M., & Thweatt, K. S. (1998). Aggressive communication traits and their relationships with the Cognitive Flexibility Scale and the Communication Flexibility Scale . Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 13, 531–540 .

10.

Venable, K. V., & Martin, M. M. (1997). Argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness in dating relationships . Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 12, 955–964 .