Self-report assessment of social fear, discomfort, and assertive behavior.

Abstract

Self-report invencories can be useful in gathering data on motoric responses, physiological activity, and cognitions. These measures can provide information concerning an individual's subjective experience or evaluation of these responses (1). Self-report measures of assertive behavior have assessed frequency of assertive responses, expressed fear of social interactions, and degree of discomfort experienced when behaving assertively. Only one instrument. the Assertion Inventory. has been designed to measure both the probability of certain social behaviors and the degree of discomfort experienced in these situations (2). The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between various self-report measures of assertive behavior, social fear, and discomfort and to determine whether other scales can be modified to provide comparable data. A sample of 109 adults (mean age of 28.7 yr.) was administered the Adult Selfexpression Scale (3), the Assertion Inventory, and the Fear Survey Schedule I11 (7). The two measures of assertion were presented as one scale with instructions to respond to each item in terms of response probability and degree of discomfort experienced. The Expanded Social Fear Scale (4) was scored from the Fear Survey Schedule 111. As expected, scores on the Adult Self-expression Scale and Assertion Inventory were strongly related (r = -.78); low scores on the former and high ones on the latter indicated lower frequencies of assertive behavior. Ratings of discomfort for the two scales generated the expected positive relationship (r = .73). Correlation of the discomfort measures with Hollandsworth's scale also gave positive coefficients (rs = .49, .53). The response probabilities from the Adult Self-expression Scale and Assertion Inventory correlated significantly w~th the measures of social fear (rs = -.36, .38. respectively) and discomfort (rs ranged from 2.39 to k.47) as previously reported (4, 5). These findings would support the contention of Wolpe (6) and others that fear of and subjective discomfort in social situations are associated with lower frequencies of assertive behavior. These findings also indicate that at least one other measure and perhaps most self-report inventories of assertion could be modified easily to provide such useful information. This increased flexibility would extend the usefulness of self-report inventories in working with individuals for whom assertive behavior poses a problem.