Religion and the Relationship Between Verbal Aggressiveness and Argumentativeness

Abstract

This study analyzes the influence of sex, education, religion, and religiosity on the relationship between argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. Verbal aggressiveness is a less acceptable way to approach disagreement than argumentativeness. Argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness were not significantly related. Further analysis revealed that male participants were significantly more verbally aggressive, individuals with higher education were less verbally aggressive, and religiosity decreased verbal aggressiveness. Moreover, Mainline Protestants were generally more verbally aggressive than other religious groups.

Notes

¹This subset of the sample included overwhelmingly self-identified: farmers and ranchers.

²Mainline Protestants is used to collectively refer to Protestant religious groups in the United States such as Mainstream Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, and Baptists. Religious groups considered more Evangelical, and the Catholic Church are excluded from this category and grouped into their own category as per previous work by Buddenbaum and Stout (1996).

³GT refers to general trait.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

⁴Although this R ² _adj is statistically significant, its practical significance is questionable.

*p < .05.

**p < .01.

***p < .0001.