BEHAVIOR

Behaviors

How people choose to act or respond to a situation. There are four basic choices people can make. People can choose passive, aggressive, passive aggressive or assertive.

· Passiveness is behavior in which people choose not to act on their own behalf or according to their own values. People who act passively are probably not pursuing what they want or doing what is in their best interest. They may do what others want, even if what others want is unhealthy or dangerous. Passive behavior seldom helps people achieve their goals.

· Aggressiveness is behavior in which people act on their own behalf without regard to the rights, wishes or feelings of others. Aggressive behavior is often active, intimidating, and disrespectful. It is sometimes violent. People using aggressive behavior may achieve their goals, but they often do so at the expense of others.

· Passive-aggressive behavior is the indirect expression of hostility, such as through procrastination, stubbornness, sullenness, or deliberate or repeated failure to accomplish requested tasks for which one is (often explicitly) responsible.

· Assertiveness is behavior in which people act on their own behalf, in accordance with their values, in a responsible, respectful way. Assertive behavior helps people achieve their goals in healthy ways.