The relationship between the assertive behavior of parents and the behavior of their children

Abstract

This investigation attempted to measure the relationship between parents' and their children's assertive and interpersonal behavior in order to identify the family population which can best profit from interpersonal skills training. Subjects were 60 volunteer mothers and fathers and 95 children, ages six to twelve, from a white upper socio-economic suburban population. The adult assessment measures were Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) and the Adult Self-Expression Scale. The child assessment measures were Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior Children (FIRO-BC) and Self-Expression Scale: Children. The most notable result of this study indicates that contrary to most published literature on the family, assertiveness relates to affection rather than control; that assertiveness training should be subordinated to interpersonal skills training; that the FIRO instruments provide a more effective assessment of family interaction than do assertiveness instruments.