Understanding Everyday Incivility: Why Are They So Rude?, Paperback

Understanding Everyday Incivility delves into the day-to-day annoying behaviors that color our interactions with other people, such as the use of crude language in public, family members who claim that they're "just teasing" and we're "too sensitive," coworkers who constantly interrupt us, and inflammatory remarks posted on social media sites. Shelley D. Lane explores what is considered uncivil behavior, why we label some acts as crude or selfish while others are deemed polite and proper, and how these labels often change from one context to the next. She highlights the power dynamics at play in our interactions and explains how "rude" behavior can sometimes be beneficial--and "polite" behavior can be detrimental. Rather than a simplistic manual of manners, Lane provides the tools to understand everyday incivility and strategies for responding effectively and appropriately.

Shelley D. Lane is associate professor of communication studies and associate dean of undergraduate education at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has over thirty-five years of experience in university teaching, publishing, and administration. She is the author of Interpersonal Communication: Competence and Contexts, A Stirling Diary: An Intercultural Story of Communication, Connection, and Coming-of-Age, and lead author of Communication in a Civil Society.