Preliminary Properties of a New Measure of Assertiveness, Strategic Assertiveness and Passivity

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Authors

Mates, Hadley
Pickett, Leigh Anne
Bryson, Catherine
Robb, Jeannette
Bardi, C. Albert

Issue Date

2011-04-29

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Presentation

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en_US

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University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee , Scholarship Sewanee 2011 , Undergraduate research , Scale construction , Personality , Assertiveness , Diversity , Multiculturalism , Latino/a Psychology

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Abstract

Extant measures (e.g. Rathus, 1973) conceptualize assertiveness as social boldness and frankness. Studies assessing minority groups in the U.S. (e.g., Hall & Beil-Warner, 1978) with a variety of measures of assertiveness have yielded group differences that may be best accounted for by the historic application of measures developed on European-Americans to other cultural groups. A recent qualitative study (Chandrasekaran, Clark, Croasdaile, Mates, McNair, Pickett & Bardi, 2010) found that in addition to traditionally-defined assertiveness, Latinos endorse themes of strategic assertiveness as a mode of dealing with interpersonal conflict. The current study seeks to create a valid and reliable measure of three separate behavioral categories: assertiveness, strategic assertiveness and passivity. A sixty item pool was created using qualitative study themes and theoretically-derived alteration of existing scale (e.g. Rathus, 1973) items. In order to gauge potential problems with item content, two focus groups of students of minority identity were held. Post focus group revision of the item pool yielded 50 items. The 50-item pool was administered with a scale of social desirability to several psychology classes. Results of statistical analyses including item distributions, reliability of proposed scales and social desirability responding are presented.

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University of the South

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