Assessing Assertiveness in Work Settings: A Discrimination Measure

Abstract

Discriminating assertive, nonassertive, and aggressive behaviors is assumed to precede behaving with appropriate assertiveness in conflict situations. This paper describes the development of a measure of such discrimination for conflict situations in work settings. The 36-item inventory presented here was derived from a pool of 60 items administered to 201 middle-management personnel who had undergone training in assertiveness. The instrument is offered for use by trainers and researchers.