Argument

Argument is a runaway debate, where the participants no longer exercise self-control. Anger takes the upper hand, leading to outrage, resentment, and malevolence. There is potential for further escalation towards verbal or physical violence. A kind of goal no longer exists, as agreements become almost impossible when the participants refuse to move from their standpoint and have fully retreated into defense. It even often happens that the exact opposite occurs: the involved parties end up focusing even more on their own position in conflicts, and all parties are pushed into increasingly extreme directions by the prevailing emotionality. Moreover, it usually leads to an unconscious association of this anger and these negative emotions with opposing stand points, so that these feelings quickly reappear in future situations upon encountering these topics.

In contrast to this stands discussion and debate.