Functional Assertiveness as an Interaction of Speaker and Listener

Abstract

The present article proposes a conceptualization of functional assertiveness which has a broad scope of application and is based on the social norm of appropriateness. Functional assertiveness is conceptualized as the communication of the speaker and the listener based on each other's perspectives. In developing this new definition of functional assertiveness, we address two issues confronting researchers, which are the situation-specific nature of topographical assertiveness and the difficulty of distinguishing assertive behavior from aggressive behavior. Functional assertiveness is a mutually satisfying communication whose effectiveness is assessed by whether or not the speaker's goal is accomplished and by the listener's perceived appropriateness of the communication. In this article, we suggest new areas for the application of functional assertiveness.View full abstract