The assertiveness of hypertensives : a personality study

This study tested the hypothesis that hypertensives are less assertive than normotensives. . Hypertensive and normotensive subjects took a self-report assertiveness inventory (the Peneca Self-Expression Scale) which includes four measures: e expression of negative feelings, compliance, expression of positive feelings, and aggression. In addition, two significant others (a friend and a relative) took the same questionnaire in order to give their observations of the subject's behavior.

It was hypothesized that on the first three assertiveness measures the hypertensives would report significantly less assertiveness than would the normotensives. Because of a suspected tendency to give socially desirable responses, it was also hypothesized that on the first three measures hypertensives would report significantly greater assertiveness than would their significant others. No differences were expected on the measure of aggression.

The only hypothesis which was confirmed was the one concerning the expression of positive emotions. That is, hypertensives reported expressing positive emotions significantly less than did normotensives. This difference was not found among the reports of significant others. Although this finding did not agree with a psychophysiological analysis of hypertension, it was concluded that failure to express positive emotions may produce a "negative" climate in interpersonal relationships, which in turn contributes to elevated blood pressure.

When distinguishing between the effects of friends and those of relatives, the experimenter found that friends of hypertensives gave higher reports of aggression than did friends of normotensives, but to a nonsignificant degree.

The implications of the findings for behavioral treatment of hypertension were discussed. The use of assertiveness training (with emphasis placed on the expression of positive feelings) could be integrated with relaxation training.