Legitimacy of Request and Social Problem Solving

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Three experiments examining assertive and nonassertive subjects' evaluation of the reasonableness of requests, their perceived ability to respond to requests, and the factors influencing response selection are reported. In each study, subjects viewed videotapes of requests of empirically determined legitimacy. Relative to assertive subjects, nonassertive subjects evaluated requests as more reasonable, rated themselves as less able to handle requests, and expected poorer outcomes from assertive responses. Legitimacy of request had strong effects on several variables, frequently as part of an interaction with subjects' assertiveness classification. Results are discussed in terms of a problem-solving model of assertive behavior and the need to consider the interplay between cognitions and behavior in the further study of self-assertion.