Content Consideration in the Distinction between Assertive and Aggressive Behavior

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Abstract
Attempts to distinguish assertive behavior from aggressive behavior independently of the consequences seem hindered by a limited conceptualization of assertiveness. Assertiveness is usually thought of as a right, but a behavioral analysis of rights behavior indicates the emission of functionally related obligation behaviors both prior to and after the emission of the rights behavior. When assertiveness is defined as a behavioral chain consisting of obligations and rights, the obligation behavioral components distinguish it from aggressiveness. The rights behavioral component, currently called “assertiveness,” is better termed “expressiveness” or “expressive behavior” to indicate that the entire assertive response includes more than the simple expression of rights.