Orientations to Interpersonal Arguing in the United Arab Emirates, with Comparisons to the United States, China, and India

© 2015 World Communication Association. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is currently a hub of 200 nationalities with a variety of lifestyles and religions. Nonetheless, the attitudes of locals towards reasoning with others have not yet been investigated. This investigation studied fundamental orientations to arguing among UAE residents (N = 157), with a range of self-report instruments including argument frames, personalization of conflict, argumentativeness, and verbal aggressiveness. Data analysis showed that UAE respondents had responses comparable to three comparison countries (US, India, and China) in terms of argument motives, but they manifested differences regarding argument frames and taking conflict personally. These are discussed in relation to cultural dimensions and their significance for business and education