Traces the rhetorical relationship between the ritual path taken by each rhetor and the types of messages they leave behind at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington D.C., especially in the rhetoric "as addressed" to an audience. Reveals the interplay of ritual choice and message. (MS)

Describes a meta-analysis comparing the persuasiveness of one-sided and two-sided messages. Demonstrates that a two-sided message with refutation is more persuasive than a one-sided message, whereas a one-sided message is more persuasive than a two-sided message without refutation. (SR)

Surveys relevant literature, including Kohut, Rochlin, Kernberg, and others. Offers a theoretical formulation on the rhetorical implications of unhealthy narcissism, particularly misjudgments of audience and occasion and misshaped messages. (MS)

Argues for a redefinition of narcissism as pathological communication, rather than egoism or individualism. Contends that such a definition has heuristic advantages. Suggests directions for further research. (MS)

Explores rhetorical strategies that construct institutional authority by analyzing discourse from a Senate subcommittee hearing. Argues that, although domination is basic to human organization, all structures are vulnerable to strategic alteration through effective participation. (MS)

Asks when and to what purpose society labels discourse ideological. Analyzes the cluster of terms used to denote moral choices and the process of moral suasion by placing them in a taxonomy of illocutionary acts and detailing their differences and similarities among judging, moralizing, and ideologizing. (MS)

Uses William R. Brown's theory of interventional rhetoric to describe a strategy of "participation"--a communicative strategy by which one community of Ohio Mexican Americans employs discourse to reinterpret social roles and expectations. Notes that this strategy attempts to maintain cultural identity while reducing intercultural…

Focusing on rhetorical strategies employed by U. S. presidents in response to states of emergency, investigates differences between discourse (1) initially constituting the government's sole response and (2) accompanying, justifying, and rationalizing specific military moves undertaken. Analyzes five presidential messages, categorizing each as…

Formulates a middle-level theory that explains the process by which rhetroic is epistemic, using Foucault's notion of the discursive formation as a starting point. Discusses five theoretical units derived from Foucault--discursive practices, rules, roles, power, and knowledge--and relationships among them. Analyzes Disneyland, using Foucault's…

Examines some of the rhetorical choices of General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev which dramatize Soviet calls for nuclear weapons de-escalation. Speculates that Gorbachev's peace efforts are sincere, because they are motivated by twin crises of a failing economy and a threatened world community. (MS)

Investigates the operation of myth and victimage in President Reagan's Lebanon/Grenada address. Delineates the clustering structure within the speech, suggesting how the arrangement of mythic content accomplished victimage. Argues that Reagan defused his foreign policy by redefining it, thereby making the Lebanon/Grenada situation appear both…

Presents an overview of Michel Foucault's approach to the study of historical systems of thought, arguing that Foucault's view of historical criticism and language-in-use have much to offer rhetorical theory and criticism. Discusses the nature of discourse for Foucault and examines the characteristics of the fundamental discursive datum, the…

In response to an earlier symposium report, this journal presents six position papers dealing with the question, "What criteria should be used to judge the admissibility of evidence to support theoretical propositions regarding communication research?" The analyses and arguments include "The Research Process" by Wayne Brockriede, "The Reflexivity…

Discusses the public rhetoric created during the debate over the Panama Canal treaties. Examines three foreign policy dramas that emerged: Cold War, New World Order, and Power Politics. Argues that these dramas provide insight into how foreign policy rhetoric reflects Americans' conceptions of themselves and their global responsibility. (JD)

Suggests that an interpretive view of communication, with philosophical assumptions about the nature of persons and communication, provides a perspective from which scholars study argumentation. Presents arguments supporting the value of the interpretive perspective, and answers criticisms by showing how those criticisms are grounded in…