Passive behaviour is where you sacrifice your own preferences and needs, so that you can help others to meet their preferences and needs. There will be times in your life when you need to be passive, or, where being passive at that moment will allow you to build a positive relationship in the long run.

Passivity or the act of living a passive lifestyle is not having a control over the choices you make in your life and an inherent disinclination towards living a life you dream of.

When a passive-aggressive begins to feel attachment or real love for one who has inspired them, it’s common practise to retreat and forfeit the connection because of the fear that something will go wrong or of that they will be perceived rejection.

Sulking, backhanded compliments, procrastination, withdrawal, and refusal to communicate are all signs of passive-aggression. When the other person begins acting in such a way, try to keep your anger in check. Instead, point out the other person’s feelings in a way that is non-judgmental yet factual.

Passive people do not allow their needs to take precedence over, or be as valid as, others. They allow others to make their decisions for them, even though they may resent it later. They feel helpless, powerless and inhibited.

Passive-aggressive behavior is a pattern of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them. There’s a disconnect between what a passive-aggressive person says and what he or she does.

Being passive means letting others take responsibility or make decisions. Passive behaviour can reduce feelings of self-worth. Being aggressive means not considering other people’s views or feelings. This may take the form of ignoring people, rushing them, bossing them or disagreeing with them.

Examples of passive-aggression are playing the game of emotional “get-back” with someone by resisting cooperation with them, giving them the “silent treatment,” pouting or whining, not so accidentally “forgetting” something they wanted you to do because you’re angry and didn’t really feel like obliging them, etc.

7 Ways to Neutralise Passive Aggression

1. Answer on face value. A powerful way to respond to snarkiness of many forms is to simply respond as if the statement was honestly and clearly given.
2. Seek clarification.
3. Avoid like for like.
4. Use humour.
5. Call it out.
6. Give them a chance to address it.
7. Remove yourself.

Tell The Difference Between Assertive, Passive and Aggressive Behaviour. Assertive people state their opinions while being respectful of others. Aggressive people attack or ignore others’ opinions in favour of their own. Passive people don’t state their opinions at all.

How to Stop Your Passive Aggressive Behavior

1. Recognize your behavior.
2. Understand why your behavior should be changed.
3. Give yourself time.
4. Realize it’s OK to be angry.
5. Be assertive, not aggressive.
6. Be open to confrontation.

Assertive communication is direct and respectful. Being assertive gives you the best chance of successfully delivering your message. If you communicate in a way that’s too passive or too aggressive, your message may get lost because people are too busy reacting to your delivery.

The definition of assertiveness for women in academia includes the confidence to state opinions clearly and firmly, to back them up in the face of disagreement, to make strong and steady eye contact, to use emphatic hand gestures, to display calm and confident body language while speaking and listening.

Being assertive means being able to stand up for your own or other people’s rights in a calm and positive way, without being either aggressive, or passively accepting ‘wrong’. Assertive individuals are able to get their point across without upsetting others, or becoming upset themselves.

Assertive anger: This is usually the best way to communicate feelings of anger because anger is expressed directly and in a nonthreatening way to the person involved. A statement such as “I feel angry when you …” is an example of assertive anger. Communication Approaches.

Assertiveness, by our definition, is basically a relaxed attitude. Individuals with this personality trait pay little attention to regret and have little need to endlessly think about the negative. They have a sense of confidence.

Common barriers to assertiveness: Fear that we will hurt the other person’s feelings. Fear of another person’s anger or disapproval. Guilt about placing our needs first. Discomfort with asking others to see our preferences as important.

These tips can help you get more comfortable with speaking up and advocating for yourself.

1. Assess your communication style.
2. Plan your response ahead of time.
3. Don’t let guilt get in the way.
4. Use positive self-talk.
5. Take time to breathe.
6. Embody an assertive stance.
7. Rehearse with someone you know and trust.
8. Believe in your worth.

Here’s what it means to be assertive:

• You can give an opinion or say how you feel.
• You can ask for what you want or need.
• You can disagree respectfully.
• You can offer your ideas and suggestions.
• You can say no without feeling guilty.
• You can speak up for someone else.