Aggressive and Passive Behaviour
Aggressive Behaviour
Hostile or coercive words or actions that communicate disrespect towards others constitutes aggressive behaviour. It involves standing up for one's rights and expressing one's thoughts, feelings and beliefs in a way which is usually inappropriate and always violates the rights of the other person. Superiority is maintained by putting others down.
Aggressive behaviour is maintained through the belief that the person has more rights, but fewer responsibilities, and more personal worth than others.
Passive Behaviour
This involves failing to express our wants, needs or feelings or communicating them in an indirect or apologetic way. When we fail to communicate our concerns or wishes, or express them in a hesitant, joking or self-depreciating way, other people will not know how we feel or will misinterpret our actions. As passive responders we allow others to 'walk over us' (the doormat syndrome). We allow our rights to be violated in the belief that we have fewer rights, or more responsibilities than others, and that we have less personal worth than they do.
When someone makes a request of us we respond by meeting their demands even thought we might feel angry at having to do so and possibly making a bad job of it on purpose. We do this rather than tell people our objections or simply saying 'no'. Aggression, and passive or running away behaviour is often the result of the build up of feelings of frustration, anxiety and anger because we have been manipulated by others through our anxiety or guilt.
