Understanding Everyday Incivility

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 theyre just teasing and were 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 beneficialand 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.