Evaluations and consequences of assertive behavior

Male and female high assertive and low assertive subjects observed videotaped scenes of actors exhibiting assertive, empathic-assertive, and nonassertive behavior in response to unreasonable requests made by acquaintances. Subjects provided evaluative ratings of actors in the different scenes and rated the likelihood of various consequences that might follow from the actors' behaviors. Generally, empathic-assertive behavior was more positively received than assertive behavior. Empathic assertion received high ratings on dimensions of competence and likeability and was associated with expectations of positive consequences of a social (i.e. requestor's reactions to the actor's behavior) or personal (i.e. the actor's own feelings) nature. In contrast, both empathic-assertion and assertion were believed to result in more negative long-term consequences (i.e. the effect the actor's responses will have on the relationship in the long run) than nonassertive behavior. These effects were modified by the sex of the requestor and the sex and assertiveness of the subject, but unaffected by the sex of the actor. Implications of these findings for research and training of assertive behavior are discussed.