Abstract
The purpose of this report was to examine the within-group differences in assertiveness of stutterers. At the beginning, a 36 item assertiveness scale was administered to a sample of 201 adult stutterers. A high assertive group (N=48) and a low assertive group (N=50), were extracted from the total number of subjects according to their assertiveness score and were compared with regard to their assertiveness. Several items on how stutterers grasp their own stuttering were added to the 36 assertiveness items. Thus the ways in which the two groups grasp their respective stuttering were also compared. The results were as follows: 1) The two groups differed statistically in 35 out of 36 assertiveness items. The high assertive group was more assertive than the low assertive group on all items. 2) Five factors were extracted respectively from both groups in a factor analysis. The factor structure of the low assertive group was more characteristic than the other. The reason for this seems to be that the opposite factors, such as "assertion of one's rightfulness" (Factor 1) and "tendency to conceal one's opinion" (Factor 3) were extracted from the low assertive group. From this, it was inferred that they were in a state of ambivalence. 3) The low assertive group regarded their stuttering symptoms as more severe and were more distressed about their own stuttering problems than the high assertive group. These results reveal that there is an organic relationship between assertiveness and the ways in which stutterers grasp their stuttering. This also supports the author's position that stuttering problems can be resolved by having stutterers attain a more assertive way of life.
