Assertion theory

The Assertion theory was proposed that everyone has basic human rights which allowed them to develop assertive skills. There are several types of assertiveness that were discovered. Passive behaviour, assertive behaviour, aggressive behaviour, manipulative behaviour, and a mixture between them all. Assertiveness can be found in verbal and non-verbal communication, throughout society. The act of assertiveness is when a person physically or mentally asserts themselves towards a given object or idea. For example, standing up for a friend, or confronting your employer. Not every human has this 'assertive' trait; however, in most cases, there will always be a moment in one's life where assertiveness needs to be established, whether it is a big step, or a minor situation. ^[1]

Assertion theory is a behavioral model for the promotion of personal rights without violating the rights of others. The theory is based on the premise that humans typically either allow their rights to become restricted (non-assertion), or intrude upon the rights of others (aggression).^[2] In order to maintain the rights of all parties, assertion theory stresses that individuals recognize specific emotional, verbal, and non-verbal cues in order to maintain equality for all individuals. Such behavior is potentially applicable in many facets of human life, including workplace situations.

Non-Assertion

Also known as passiveness, non-assertion tends to mean submission of agreement of the another. Typically, a passive person would agree to practically anything. For example, if their friend asks them to run up to the store to pick up some milk. A passive (non-assertive) person would say yes, and get the milk. An non-passive (assertive) person would tell them no. This is also in correlation with the Fight-or-flight response. An passive person would typically choose the 'flight' response, whereas a non-passive person would choose the 'fight' response. This response ties in with emotions as well. Different emotions can trigger these responses. Anger can either trigger the body to clench an object forcefully (fight), or it can trigger the body to walk away from the situated area (flight). ^[3]

Aggression

Aggression is a form of behaviour where a person asserts themselves negatively towards themselves or those around them. Typically, the aggression tends to make the aggressor fail to consider the feelings of the victim. An example of aggression is when a child misbehaves, and the parent yells at the child excessively. In most scenarios, the aggressive behaviour usually follows with the victim presenting either a aggressive or passive response.

Emotion

Assertion correlates with emotion greatly. Depending on what emotion is expressed, the amount of assertion is given. If somebody shows a lot of excitement, then they will assert their emotion by presenting a verbal or non-verbal behaviour, such as shouting or clenching a hand. The frontal lobe of the brain controls emotion. There are some instances where the brain has a deficiency in which it cannot produce the correct emotion that correlates to the action. For example, when a child is happy, they will typically smile or laugh. However, there are some cases where the child will become aggressive with objects. The body senses that the brain is excited, and fills with too much serotonin produced, and that can cause a different reaction towards a certain emotion present. ^[4]

• Basic Emotions are those that the person create to show basic responses, such as happiness, anger, or sadness.
• Social Emotions are those that the person create to express their emotions within their mind to others how they feel, such as guilt, pride, or jealousy.^[5]

Behaviour

Sections of the Brain

With assertion comes emotion, as well as behaviour. Two major types of behaviour are verbal behaviour and non-verbal behaviour. Throughout the life of a human, they will experience and develop these types of behaviour. Behaviour is a normal process that all humans will undergo and have to control. The frontal lobe, of the brain, controls behaviour in the human body. In the frontal lobe, the hypothalamus controls judgement, emotions, self-monitoring, speech, and various other components. ^[6]

Verbal Behaviour

Assertion is mostly expressed through verbal behaviour. This can be seen in a myriad of situations. If someone is mad, they will yell. If someone is happy, their tone of their speech will rise. Location also has an influence on how a person acts verbally. At a football game, typically people are intended to scream and shout with joy, rooting for their team to win. When a player scores, the sound of the crowd cheering increases exponentially, because they are asserting excitement and thrill for the victorious performance.

Non-Verbal Behaviour

Assertion can be exercised through non-verbal behaviour too. Non-verbal behaviour is a type of communication that uses no words or speech. This is when the person shows signs of behaviour through body movement, while experessing emotion, as discussed earlier. If a child is mad, rather than shouting out, the child might clench his/her fists tightly, or give a scold look towards others. This is a sign that the child is asserting his/her emotions through non-verbal behaviour. Now, this also can be seen through a more cheerful demeanor. For example, if a child is opening their birthday gift, they might un-wrap the present with asserted power, opening it faster than normal, and less cautious; eager to see what is inside. Like with verbal behaviour, location is a key component when evaluating behaviour. A quiet library; for example, is a location where there is almost no verbal communication. For example, if there is a person listening to loud music in the library, some of the other people may stare at the person, or tap the person, signalling a response to the person to lower the music volume.

See Also

• Communication
• Aggression
• Behavior
• Passive-aggressive behavior

References