Role-play validation of the assertion inventory

Abstract

The Assertion Inventory (AI) (Gambrill & Richey, 1975), a 40‐item questionnaire, collects two types of information about assertive behavior: (a) degree of discomfort felt in specific situations; and (b) judged probability of engaging in a behavior. Ss are categorized into one of four groups: Assertive (low discomfort and high assertion), Unassertive (high discomfort and low assertion), Doesn't Care (low discomfort and low assertion), or Anxious Performer (high discomfort and high assertion). The purpose of the study was to validate the Al using a role‐play format. Two experiments comprised the study. The Ss were 96 undergraduates (48 in Experiment 1 and 48 in Experiment 2). The AI scores were maximally representative of each Al category. The results of experiment 1 were congruent with inventory scores; the results of Experiment 2 were not. Potential consequences of social desirability and the use of role‐play as an outcome measure are discussed.

The Effect of Culture and Gender on Self‐reported Assertive Behavior

“…In reviewing the literature, agreement appears to exist among researchers over the multidimensional nature of assertive behavior (Kirschner and Galassi 1983; Rudy et al 1982). Therefore, in measuring assertive behavior one should concentrate on the examination of different scores related to the diversity of situations and not merely related to one overall score (Dickson et al 1984; Gambrill and Richey 1975). Galassi and Galassi (1978) indicated four possible dimensions of assertive behavior: behavioral, personal, situational and cultural.…”