Abstract
The relationship between psychosocial maturity (psychological health) and assertiveness was investigated in a sample of United States college males and females. Results revealed a moderately high positive relationship between psychosocial maturity (PSM) and self-reported assertiveness on the Rathus and Galassi scales for both sexes. This relationship was slightly stronger (in terms of variance accounted for) for males than females, significant differences being obtained for Intimacy on the Rathus scale and PSM and Intimacy on the Galassi scale. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the personality components most consistently accounting for major portions of the variance in predicting male assertiveness scores on both the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule and the College Self-Expression Scale were Intimacy and Initiative, while in predicting female assertiveness, only Initiative was involved. The findings were related to previous research, recent work on the androgyny construct (instrumental vs. expressive behaviors), and exhortations for increased cooperation between schools of psychotherapy to establish it as a more unified discipline.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appelbaum, A. S., Tuma, J. M., and Johnson, J. H. (1975). Internal-external control and assertiveness of subjects high and low in social desirability.Psychol. Rep. 37: 319–322.
Averett, M., and McManis, D. L. (1977). Relationship between extraversion and assertiveness and related personality characteristics.Psychol. Rep. 41: 1187–1193.
Bakan, D. (1966).The Duality of Human Existence, Rand McNally, Chicago.
Blanchard, E. B. (1979). A note on the clinical utility of the Rathus Assertiveness Scale.Behav. Ther. 10: 571–574.
Block, J. H. (1973). Conceptions of sex-role: Some cross-cultural and longitudinal perspectives.Am. Psychologist 28: 512–526.
Broverman, I. K., Broverman, D. M., Clarkson, F. E., Rosenkrantz, P. S., and Vogel, S. R. (1970). Sex-role stereotypes and clinical judgments of mental health.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 34: 1–7.
Constantinople, A. (1969). An Eriksonian measure of personality development in college students.Dev. Psychol. 1: 357–372.
Endler, N. S. (1975). The case for person-situation interactions.Canad. Psychol. Rev. 16: 12–21.
Erikson, E. H. (1959). Identity and the life cycle: Selected papers.Psychol. Iss. 1: 1–171.
Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and Society, 2nd ed., Norton, New York.
Fensterheim, H. (1972). Assertive methods and marital problems. In Rubin, R. D., Fensterheim, H., Henderson, J. D., and Ullmann, L. P. (eds.),Advances in Behavior Therapy, Vol. IV, Academic Press, New York, pp. 13–18.
Flowers, J. V., Whiteley, J. M., and Cooper, C. G. (1978). Assertion training: A general overview. In Whiteley, J. M., and Flowers, J. V. (eds.),Approaches to Assertion Training, Brooks-Cole, Monterey, Calif. pp. 1–13.
Galassi, J. P., DeLeo, J. S., Galassi, M. D., and Bastien, S. (1974). The College Self-Expression Scale: A measure of assertiveness.Behav. Ther. 5: 165–171.
Goldman, J. A., and Olczak, P. V. (1976). Psychosocial maturity and interpersonal attraction.J. Res. Personal. 10: 146–154.
Goldman, J. A., and Olczak, P. V. (1978). Psychosocial maturity and the forming of impressions.Bull. Psychonom. Soc. 12: 5–7.
Hall, J. M. (1977). Assessment of assertiveness. In McReynolds, P. (ed.),Advances in Psychological Assessment, Vol. IV, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, pp. 321–357.
Heimberg, R. G., Montgomery, D., Madsen, C. H., Jr., and Heimberg, J. S. (1977). Assertion training: A review of the literature.Behav. Ther. 8: 953–971.
Hollandsworth, J. G., Jr., and Wall, K. E. (1977). Sex differences in assertive behavior: An empirical investigation.J. Counsel. Psychol. 24: 217–222.
Jakubowski, P. A., and Lacks, P. B. (1978). Assessment procedures in assertion training. In Whiteley, J. M., and Flowers, J. V. (eds.),Approaches to Assertion Training, Brooks-Cole, Monterey, Calif., pp. 231–243.
Maccoby, E. E., and Jacklin, C. N. (1974).The Psychology of Sex Differences, Stanford University Press, Stanford, Calif.
Mischel, W. (1968).Personality and Assessment, Wiley, New York.
Morgan, W. G. (1974). The relationship between expressed social fears and assertiveness and its treatment implications.Behav. Res. Ther. 12: 255–257.
Nevill, D. D. (1977). Sex roles and personality correlates.Hum. Relat. 30(8): 751–759.
Norton, R., and Warnick, B. (1976). Assertiveness as a communication construct.Hum. Communicat. Res. 3: 62–66.
Olczak, P. V., and Goldman, J. A. (1975). The relationship between self-actualization and psychosocial maturity.J. Clin. Psychol. 31: 415–419.
Orenstein, H., Orenstein, E., and Carr, J. E. (1975). Assertiveness and anxiety: A correlational study.J. Behav. Ther. Exper. Psychiat. 6: 203–207.
Percell, L., Berwick, P., and Beigel, A. (1974). The effects of assertive training on self-concept and anxiety.Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 31: 502–504.
Rathus, S. A. (1973). A 30-item schedule for assessing assertive behavior.Behav. Ther. 4: 398–406.
Rathus, S. A. (1978). Assertive training: Rationales, procedures, and controversies. In Whiteley, J. M., and Flowers, J. V. (eds.),Approaches to Assertion Training, Brooks-Cole, Monterey, Calif., pp. 48–83.
Rich, A. R., and Schroeder, H. E. (1976). Research issues in assertiveness training.Psychol. Bull. 83: 1081–1096.
Rosenkrantz, P., Vogel, S., Bee, H., Broverman, I., and Broverman, D. M. (1968). Sex-role stereotypes and self-concepts in college students.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 32: 287–295.
Tolor, A., Kelly, B. R., and Stebbins, C. A. (1976). Assertiveness, sex-role stereotyping, and self-concept.J. Psychol. 93: 157–164.
Wachtel, P. L. (1977).Psychoanalysis and Behavior Therapy: Toward an Integration, Basic Books, New York.
Waterman, A. S., and Whitbourne, S. K. (1979). Androgyny and psychosocial development among college students and adults. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York, September.
Wessman, A. E., and Ricks, D. F. (1966).Mood and Personality, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York.
Whitbourne, S. K., and Waterman, A. S. (1979). Psychosocial development during the adult years: Age and cohort comparisons.Dev. Psychol. 15: 373–378.
White, R. W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence.Psychol. Rev. 66: 297–333.
White, R. W. (1960). Competence and the psychosexual stages of development. In Jones, M. R. (ed.),Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, Vol. 8, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Neb., pp. 97–140.
Whiteley, J. M., and Flowers, J. V. (1978).Approaches to Assertion Training, Brooks-Cole, Monterey, Calif.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Received his Ph.D. from Syracuse University in 1971. He has also been a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina and a Clinical Psychologist at the Behavioral Medicine Unit of St. Joseph's Hospital- McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Current research interests include personality moderators of social cognition and self-concept theory.
Received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Northern Illinois University in 1972. Current research interests include personality moderators of social cognition and behavior change, and psychological assessment.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldman, J.A., Olczak, P.V. The relationship between psychosocial maturity and assertiveness in males and females. J Youth Adolescence 10, 33–44 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088421
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02088421