“Arguers as lovers”;: Implications for forensics education

Competitive debate is valued because it teaches the construction, evaluation, presentation, and refutation of arguments. Taken together, Wayne Brockriede's “Arguers as Lovers”; and Dance and Larson's functional theory allow understanding of the roots and consequences of inappropriate role behavior in debate. This understanding allows forensics educators to diagnose and attempt to resolve deleterious role rigidity in debaters and thereby enhance the individual development of competitive debaters.