I’ve been looking into what the difference in being assertive and being aggressive is and how to accurately recognize which one describes my own and others actions. The problem I’m having is an action being aggressive or assertive seems to be subjective. The intention of the individual acting either aggressively or assertive can’t be know by anyone but themselves. The differences seem mostly semantics. While one is polite the other is rude. Both statements intend to get a result the individual wants. Becoming assertive certainly seems like a good thing while being aggressive seems like a bullying. Recommendation on acting more assertive look like a guide on how to gaslight effectively.
Is their really much difference in the two besides wording?
2 comments
Assertive: you know what you want, you state what you want, you state why others might want it. If they don’t want it, you accept. (And decide to stay or quit.)
Aggressive: you may not know what you want, but you state what you want anyway, and if others don’t want it, you try to force them to accept it anyway.
To me an aggressive person wants to fight and an assertive person wants to impress, and a passive aggressive person wants to fight but can’t.