The structure of assertiveness: a confirmatory approach

Clinical Psychology-science and Practice, 2018

Advances in Behaviour Research and Therapy, 1990

Recent reviews of the assertiveness literature (e.g., suggest that the majority of the most frequently used measures of self-reported assertion require more empirical attention regarding their psychometric properties before definitive conclusions can be made about their utility for research purposes and for clinical applications. In the present investigation, an attempt was made to expand the construct validity (convergent and divergent) of the Scale for Interpersonal Behavior (SIB), a multidimensional measure of both difficulty and distress in assertiveness. Findings were obtained from eight independent non-patient and clinical samples on a multitude of measures. Considering assertiveness as a subconstruct of the more complex Shyness construct, predictions were formulated as to the kind and degree of associations that ought to emerge in relating the SIB to a large variety of homologous and more or less non-homologous concepts. Among others, these included private and public self-consciousness, social and non-social (e.g., agoraphobic and blood-injury) fears, punitivity. trait shyness and trait social *To whom reprint requests should be addressed. *This monograph was written while the first author was affiliated to the Department of Psychiatry of the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 153 154 W.A. Arrindell et al.

Behavioural Psychotherapy, 1985

1980

OF A THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Psychology at the Graduate School of Eastern Illinois University CHARLESTON , ILLINO IS 1980

Personality and Individual Differences, 1990

Despite an explosive proliferation of assertion measures, a hiatus has been observed by several authors to establish the psychometric adequacy of existing instruments. In order to expand the construct validity of the Scale for Interpersonal Behaviour (SIB) further, its (sub)scale components of distress and difficulty in assertiveness were correlated with the Wolpe-Lazarus Assertiveness Scale, the Social Anxiety Scale (a trait measure), and background factors such as sex, age and military rank in a large sample of healthy military personnel. From the findings it emerged that the measures exhibit a sizeable degree of shared variance (being only very minimally affected by item overlap across instruments), and that SIB scores are not affected by sex and age, though minimally so by military rank.

Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2008

Aim and objectives. To investigate the effectiveness of assertiveness training programmes on psychiatric patients' assertiveness, self-esteem and social anxiety. Background. Assertiveness training programmes are designed to improve an individual's assertive beliefs and behaviours, which can help the individual change how they view themselves and establish self-confidence and social anxiety. It is useful for patients with depression, depressive phase of bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder or adjustment disorder. Design. Experimental. Method. There were 68 subjects (28, experimental group; 40, diagnosis-matched comparison group). Subjects in experimental groups participated in experimenter-designed assertiveness training twice a week (two hours each) for four weeks. The comparison groups participated the usual activities. Data were collected in the two groups at the same time: before, after and one month after training programme. Efficacy was measured by assertiveness, self-esteem and social anxiety inventories. A generalised estimating equation was used for analysis. Results. After training, subjects had a significant increase in assertiveness immediately after the assertiveness training programme and one-month follow-up. There was a significant decrease in social anxiety after training, but the improvement was not significant after one month. Self-esteem did not increase significantly after training. Conclusion. With our sample of patients with mixed diagnoses, assertiveness seemed to be improved after assertiveness training. Relevance to clinical practice. Patients would benefit more from the assertiveness training programme for the change in how they view themselves, improve their assertiveness, properly express their individual moods and thoughts and further establish self-confidence. The assertiveness training protocol could be provided as a reference guide to clinical nurses.

Behavior Therapy, 1980

Although a great deal of clinical research attention has been directed toward assertiveness training, few studies have examined the social impact or interpersonal evaluation of assertive versus unassertive behavior, including the differential evaluation of assertiveness exhibited by males and females. In the present study, subjects observed a videotape showing a male or female stimulus model behaving either assertively or unassertively during four interactions similar to those used in assertiveness training research. Subjects then completed an interpersonal attraction inventory to evaluate the model they observed. Results indicated that while assertive models were viewed as skilled and able, they were given lower ratings on measures of likeability than unassertive models. Further, interaction effects indicated that assertive behavior exhibited by females resulted in more negative evaluations than the identical behavior in males.

Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1979

The purpose of this study is to assess the construct equivalence of the three types of assertiveness measures: self-report, role playing, and in vivo. Construct equivalence was examined by determining the relationships between these measures and a standardized personality inventory. Seventy-six undergraduate students completed two self-report inventories of assertiveness (the Rathus Assertiveness Scale and the College Self-Expression Scale), participated in a behavior role-playing .task and an in vivo measure of assertiveness, and completed a comprehensive personality inventory (the Personality Research Form, Form E, or PRF-E). Eleven of 22 PRF-E scales had at least one significant correlation with the assertiveness measures. Also, some composites of the PRF-E scales were related to the assertiveness measures. The pattern of correlations with the PRF-E, for the most part, was consistent with theoretical predictions for the self-report and the role-playing measures. However, each of the methods for measuring assertiveness did appear to assess some unique aspects of the assertiveness construct. Although behavioral clinicians have been advocating assertiveness training for over a decade (Wolpe, 1958; Wolpe & Lazarus, 1966) and although most workers in the area have acknowledged the necessity of adequate measurement, only recently has much effort been expanded in the investigation of the measurement of assertiveness. In part because different theoretical orientations have dictated contrasting measurement methods, there has been a lack of integration among the different procedures for measuring assertiveness. The purpose of the present study is to provide some integration among these approaches by relating these various assertiveness measures with the comprehensive and well-defined trait measures of the Personality Research Form (PRF; Jackson, 1974). The two major methods to assess assertiveness have been self-report inventories and overt behavioral measures. Self-report Requests for reprints should be sent to Samuel

Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2014

Background: Self assertiveness can be considered as hearth of interpersonal behavior and weakness in this area is one of the obvious characteristic in the patients with social phobia disorder. This study aimed to determine the effect of meta-cognitive therapy on the rate of self assertiveness skill in patients with social phobia disorder. Materials and Methods: This experimental study was conducted with pretest-posttest and follow-up design, using control group. From all social phobia disorder patients visited in psychology clinics in Shiraz, south western part of Iran in 2012, 22 patients were selected through the objective sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental (11 persons) and control (11 persons) groups. The instruments of this study were social phobia symptoms assessment questioner (SPSAQ) and self assertiveness scale (SAS). The experimental group received 8 weeks of Wells' meta-cognitive therapy sessions. Data were analyzed through covariance analysis method.

PsycTESTS Dataset, 2011

Diminished assertiveness has been associated with neuroticism, depression, and anxiety. Although many assertiveness instruments have been developed for research and clinical purposes, one common shortcoming is a lack of discriminant validity with regard to aggression. Further, the wording of many instruments is outdated and discriminatory. The goal of the present research was to develop a more sensitive instrument measuring two distinguishable forms of assertiveness: adaptive assertiveness and aggressive assertiveness. We present data validating such a measure, the Adaptive and Aggressive Assertiveness Scales (AAA-S). Participants included two samples of college students and a clinical sample of adults with anxiety disorders. The AAA-S demonstrated good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The aggressive assertiveness scale was associated with various forms of aggression and peer reports of aggressive assertiveness. The adaptive assertiveness scale was associated with competence and peer reports of adaptive assertiveness. Importantly, there were no gender differences in adaptive assertiveness. Clinical implications are discussed.