Latina/o Assertiveness: Strategy and Other Cultural Constructs
Extant measures of assertiveness were developed with dominant cultural constructs and thus may not be applicable to non-dominant groups such as U.S. Latina/os. This study employed a qualitative method to gather U.S. Latina/o conceptions of assertiveness-related constructs such as assertiveness, aggressiveness, passive-aggressiveness and a new construct, strategic assertion. Focus group data were transcribed and analyzed for emergent themes using a grounded theory approach. Four themes emerged, including: Assertiveness as a product of immigrant struggle, acceptance of authority figures, the ideal of strategic assertion, and cultural misunderstanding of expressiveness. The themes are discussed in light of future research including scale item development and service provision.
Assertiveness, Passivity, Strategic Assertiveness, Latina/o, Hispanic, Qualitative Research, Culture
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