| The S-R paradigm (Endler, Hunt, & Rosenstein, 1962) was implemented for the construction and validation of an S-R inventory of assertiveness and an investigation of the assumptions of the Interaction Model of Personality (Endler, 1983). The S-R inventory, two global-trait measures of assertiveness and a social-evaluation anxiety measure were administered to a sample of 200 subjects (60 males, 140 females) between 19 and 53 years of age. The S-R inventory was found to be a highly reliable and valid multidimensional measure of general trait-assertiveness. Strong support was found for the interaction model via a series of regression, principal-components and variance-components for the triple person-by-situation interaction (i.e., Assertive Task x Stimulus Person x Subject) were found to be substantial, relative to the other components in the model, and unit-sample generalizability coefficients were highest for the triple interaction. The pattern of assertive responding was found to be coherently consistent for subjects across situations. The results also suggested that cognition may mediate the other modalities (i.e., physiological/affective and behavioural) of assertive expression, and there were indications that situation-perception is an essential determinant of assertive behaviour and that the bi-directional prediction of assertiveness-level is possible from either the person (i.e., the individual's characteristic modes of response) or from the assertive situations that the individual will encounter. The differential pattern of results for high- and low-assertive groups suggested that high-assertive individuals focus more on "influencing" situations while low-assertive individuals are more "influenced by" the situations that they encounter. Social-evaluation anxiety was found to be a highly significant covariate of unassertive behaviour. An Interaction Model of Assertive Behaviour was proposed, described and discussed. Theoretical, research, and clinical implications of the results and the model were presented. |
