Four teams of investigators, representing distinct theoretical perspectives, independently analyzed the same bereavement narratives of 30 men whose partners had died of AIDS within the previous month. The data came from a longitudinal study of the caregiving partners of men with AIDS. Caregivers were interviewed with an open-ended format 2 weeks and 4 weeks following their partner's death. Positive and negative psychological mood was assessed at the time of the bereavement interviews and again 12 months later. Scores derived from the qualitative analyses were used to explain mood at the time of the bereavement interviews and 12 months later. The Rashomon format of the 4 studies provided an unusual opportunity to see overlaps and distinctions among theoretical approaches, resulted in thorough exploration of bereavement processes, and illustrated four different methods of analyzing qualitative data.
The emergence and development of argumentation skills in interpersonal conflict situations are the focus of this study. The mental structures used to understand arguments are related to those used to understand social conflict and goal-directed action. The desire to maintain or dissolve a relationship, to persuade, and to understand a position operate throughout interpersonal arguments. Decisions made about whether a relationship should be maintained influence the reasoning and thinking during negotiation, the negotiation strategies, and the outcome of an argument. Because social goals are crucial to understanding argument, negotiations and memory for an argument may be affected as to bias and accuracy.The ability to understand an argument is claimed to emerge early in development. By 3 years of age, children understand and generate the principle components of an argument, either in face-to-face interaction or individual interviews. The ability to construct detailed, coherent rationales in defense of a favored position improves with age. This development, however, does not guarantee a deeper understanding of one's opponents. The conditions that prevent greater understanding of the opposition from developing are discussed. The ways in which biases and limited understanding can be overcome are also considered.In this article, we focus on the social origins and nature of argument. Our analysis describes how children and adults represent, evaluate, and resolve arguments. We have, in our research (
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