ABSTRACT
Argument, by nature and definition, covers a wide range of behaviors and carries multiple meanings. In one sense of the term, argument refers to a verbal dispute in which two or more people maintain what they construe to be incompatible positions regarding an assertion or belief. Moreover, participants mutually attribute argumentative intentions to each other. That is, the parties assume that their assertions are incompatible and that the main goals for each arguer is to win—that is, to arrive at an end state where his or her viewpoint prevails. Thus, winning here means being able to proceed unencumbered in an attempt to maintain a position or to pursue a course of action.
