Communication Style Test

You get a score from 0 to 100 for each of the four styles, and your highest score is your main style. A score of 60 or more means you use that style often; 40 or less means you rarely use it.

Most people use all four styles sometimes, so look at your second-highest score too. A high assertive score is a strength to build on. High passive, aggressive or passive-aggressive scores show where small changes, like using "I" statements, will help most.

This test is based on the four communication styles used in assertiveness training and counseling: assertive, passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive. The idea of assertiveness as a learnable skill became popular in the 1970s through the work of psychologists such as Robert Alberti and Michael Emmons, and the four styles are now widely used in therapy, workplace training and school programs.

The styles differ in two ways: how openly you express your own needs and opinions, and how much you respect the needs of the other person. Assertive communication does both. Passive communication respects others but hides your own needs; aggressive communication pushes your needs at others' expense; and passive-aggressive communication hides frustration on the surface but lets it out indirectly.

This test has 24 original statements written for TestMyPsyche. Everyone uses all four styles sometimes, so look at all your scores, not just the top one. It's for self-reflection, not a professional or clinical evaluation.