C 2002 Wadsworth Group. Wadsworth is an imprint of the Wadsworth Group, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
THE COLLEGE SELF-EXPRESSION SCALE
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to give students a sense of their expressiveness, which can aid with coping with the effects of stress.
Instructions: Fill out the answers to the worksheet and score the scale before submitting it. There are no correct answers. The instructor will not read your specific answers but will evaluate whether you completed the assignment in atimely manner in order to assign points.
Please answer these questions by filling in the appropriate number:
0 Almost always or always1 Usually2 Sometimes3 Seldom 4 Never or rarely
If you find that the situation described is not presently applicable to you answer it in terms of how you think you would be likely to react if you were in the situation.
____1.Do you ignore it when someone pushes in front of you in line?
____2.When you decide that you no longer wish to date someone, do you have marked difficulty telling that person of you decision?
____3.Would you exchange a purchase you discover to be faulty?
____4.If you decide to change your major to a field which you parents will not approve, would you have difficulty telling them?
____5.Are you inclined to be overapologetic?
____6.If you were studying and if your roommate were making too much noise, would you ask him or her to stop?
____7.Is it difficult for you to compliment and praise others?
____8.If you are angry at your parents, can you tell them?
____9.Do you insist that your roommate do his or her fair share of cleaning?
____10.If you find yourself becoming fond of someone you are dating, would you have difficulty expressing these feeling to that person?
____11.If a friend who has borrowed $5.00 from you seems to have forgotten about it, would you remind this person?
____12.Are you overly careful to avoid hurting other people’s feelings?
____13.If you have a close friend whom your parents dislike and constantly criticize, would you inform you parents that you disagree with them and tell them of your friend’s assets?
____14.Do you find it difficult to ask a friend to do a favor for you?
____15.If food that is not to your satisfaction is served in a restaurant, would you complain about it to the waiter?
____16.If your roommate without your permission eats food that he or she knows you have been saving, can you express your displeasure to you roommate?
____17.If a salesperson has gone to considerable trouble to show you some merchandise which is not quite suitable, do you have difficulty saying no?
____18.Do you keep your opinion to yourself?
____19.If friends visit when you want to study, do you ask them to return at a more convenient time?
____20.Are you able to express love and affection to people for whom you care?
____21.If you were in a small seminar and the professor made a statement that you considered untrue, would you question it?
____22.If a person of the opposite sex whom you have been wanting to meet smiles of directs attention to you at a party, would you take the initiatives in beginning a conversation?
____23.If someone you respect expresses opinions with which you strongly disagree, would you venture to sate you won point of view?
____24.Do you go out of you way to avoid trouble with other people?
____25.If a friend is wearing a new outfit that you like, do you tell that person so?
____26.If after leaving a story you realize that you have been “shortchanged,” do you go back and request the correct amount?
____27.If a friend makes what you consider to be an unreasonable request, are you able to refuse?
____28.If a close and respected relative were annoying you, would you hide your feelings rather than express you annoyance?
____29.If your parents want you to come home for a weekend buy you have made important plans, would you tell them of your preference?
____30.Do you express anger or annoyance toward the opposite sex when it is justified?
____31.If a friend does and errand for you, do you tell that person how much you appreciate it?
____32.When a person is blatantly unfair, do you fail to say something about it to the person?
____33.Do you avoid social contacts for fear of doing or saying the wrong thing?
____34.If a friend betrays your confidence, would you hesitate to express annoyance to that person?
____35.When a clerk in a store waits on someone who has come in after you, do you call the clerk’s attention to the matter?
____36.If you are particularly happy about someone’s good fortune, can you express this to that person?
____37.Would you be hesitant about asking a good friend to lend you a few dollars?
____38.If a person teases you to the point that it is no longer fun, do you have difficulty expressing you displeasure?
____39.If you arrive late for a meeting, would you rather stand than go to a front seat which could only be secured with fair degree of conspicuousness?
____40.If your date calls on Saturday night 15 minutes before you are supposed to meet and says that she or he has to study for an important exam and cannot make it, would you express your annoyance?
____41.If someone keeps kicking the back of your chair in a movie, would you ask the person to stop?
____42.If someone interrupts you in the middle of an important conversation, do you request that the person wait until you have finished?
____43.Do you freely volunteer information or opinions in class discussions?
____44.Are you reluctant to speak to an attractive acquaintance of the opposite sex?
____45.If you lived in an apartment and the landlord failed to make necessary repairs after promising to do so, would you insist on it?
____46.If your parents want you home by a certain time which you feel is much too early and unreasonable, do you attempt to discuss or negotiate this with them?
____47.Do you find it difficult to stand up for your rights?
____48.If a friend unjustifiably criticizes you, do you express your resentment there and then?
____49.Do you express you feeling to others?
____50.Do you avoid asking questions in class for fear of feeling self-conscious?
From “The College Self-Expression Scale: A Measure of Assertiveness,” by J. P. Galassi, J.S. DeLo, M.D. Galassi, and S. Bastien, 1974. Behavior Therapy, 5, 165-171. Copyright 1974 by Academic Press. Reprinted by permission.
ASSERTIVENESS AS A COPING SKILL
Constructive coping is described as “relatively healthful efforts that people make to deal with stressful events.” Several examples of coping strategies appear in the text, but not assertiveness. Weiten & Lloyd (2000) defined assertiveness as “acting in your own best interests by expressing your thoughts and feelings directly and honestly” (p. 210). Being assertive seems to fit the description of constructive coping as confronting a problem directly rather than being submissive. Submissive people allow others to take advantage of them because they typically give in when faced with disagreement. Dawley & Wenrich (1976) maintained that assertive behavior is more adaptive than submissive behavior, because submission is related to poor self-esteem and emotional suppression.
It is important to differentiate between assertive and aggressive behavior. Aggressive behavior is similar to assertion, but it is intentionally aimed at hurting or harming another person (Weiten & Lloyd, 2000). As noted above, assertiveness involves defending your rights but includes no intention to inflict harm.
According to Weiten & Lloyd (2000) assertiveness training involves 5 key steps:
- Understand what assertive communication is: People who are not assertive must learn to recognize assertive behavior and to distinguish it from submissive & aggressive behavior.
- Monitor your assertive communication: Find out where you are not assertive; try to discover the who, what, and which of your lack of assertiveness.
- Observe a model’s assertive communication: Find someone who is assertive in areas you need and learn from them.
- Practice assertive communication: You may need to work up to actual assertive behavior, so you can practice through imagination, role playing, and shaping.
- Adopt an assertive attitude: Developing an attitude is more important than trying to learn specific behaviors because attitudes are more likely to generalize across situations.
Galassi, DeLo, Galassi, & Bastein (1974) developed the College Self-Expression Scale to measure assertiveness in college students. Weiten, Lloyd, & Lashley (1991) reported that the scale has high reliability and validity and does not correlate with aggressive scores.
For scoring purposes the following items must be reverse scored (0=4, 1=3, 3=1, & 4=0):
3,6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46, 48, 49
After reversals, add all 50 responses together. Although males may score slightly higher, the difference is not enough to derive different norms. Weiten, Lloyd, & Lashley reported the following norms:
Assertive: 146-200Intermediate: 104-145Nonassertive: 0-103
Dawley, H.H., Jr. & Wenrich, W.W. (1976). Achieving assertive behavior: A guide to assertive training. Pacific Grove, CA: Brroks/Cole.
Galassi, J.P., DeLo, J.S., Galassi, M.D., & Bastein, S. (1974). The College Self-Expression Scale: A measure of assertiveness. Behavior Therapy, 5, 165-171.
Weiten, W. & Lloyd, M.A. (2000). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment at the turn of the century (6th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Weiten, W., Lloyd, M.A, & Lashley, R.L. (1991). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 90s (3rd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
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