Communication Styles: Passive, Aggressive, Passive-Aggressive, and Assertive Examples
Communication styles describe how you express needs and respond to others. This free guide compares passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive patterns with practical examples.
Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW 
About this tool
Communication Styles is a free printable guide to recognizing how you express needs, handle disagreement, and respond to other people. It addresses the problem of knowing what you want to say but holding back, sounding hostile, or expressing frustration indirectly, and offers assertive alternatives to practice. How we communicate has a huge effect on our relationships, our work, and our self-respect. Most descriptions group communication into four styles: passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. The difference between them comes down to how you handle two things at once: your own needs and feelings, and the other person's.
Passive communication puts the other person first to the point of erasing yourself. You avoid conflict, hold back opinions, and let your needs go unmet, which often builds quiet resentment. Aggressive communication does the opposite, asserting your needs at the expense of the other person through blame, criticism, or intimidation. Passive-aggressive communication blends the two: on the surface you go along with things, but the frustration leaks out sideways through sarcasm, the silent treatment, or quiet sabotage.
Assertive communication is the balanced fourth style and the one worth practicing. You express your needs, feelings, and boundaries directly and respectfully, while still honoring the other person. It is not about getting your way every time. It is about being honest and clear without attacking or shrinking. Assertiveness is a learnable skill, not a personality trait, and most people use different styles in different situations.
Notice your defaults, especially under stress, and notice that they often differ by context: assertive at work, passive at home, or the reverse. Awareness is the first step. The assertive examples below give you concrete language to practice.
The assertive style traces back to assertiveness training, a branch of psychology that grew out of behavior therapy in the 1950s and 1960s. Psychologists Robert Alberti and Michael Emmons popularized the approach for a general audience with their book Your Perfect Right, first published in 1970, which framed assertiveness as a set of learnable rights and skills rather than a fixed trait. A 2018 review by Speed, Goldstein, and Goldfried in Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice described assertiveness training as an evidence-based approach that can reduce anxiety and improve interpersonal functioning, even though it is used less often in modern therapy than it once was.
Noticing your default style is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If the assertive examples above feel foreign, that gap is useful information about where to practice, not a verdict on your character. Most people are not one style across every relationship. Someone who is assertive with coworkers can slide into passive with a parent or aggressive with a partner during conflict, so it helps to track your pattern across a few real conversations before deciding where to focus.
If passive, aggressive, or passive-aggressive patterns keep causing conflict, isolation, or distress at work or at home, and practicing on your own is not shifting things, a licensed therapist, especially one trained in assertiveness training or interpersonal effectiveness skills, can help. The Psychology.com therapist directory is a free way to search for one.
Use the examples as prompts for reflection rather than labels for someone else. After a difficult conversation, write down the words you actually used, what you wanted the other person to understand, and what you could say next time. For example, replace an accusation about never helping with a request about the specific task you need help with. The Assertive Communication Worksheet can help you rehearse that request, and the I-Statements Worksheet can help you describe your experience without assigning motives.
Evaluate your practice by whether you expressed the request clearly and respectfully, even if the other person declined. Assertiveness leaves room for disagreement. A completed guide cannot establish your personality or explain another person's intentions. Silence, delayed replies, and limited eye contact need context; use the style descriptions to examine a conversation rather than infer a character flaw from an isolated behavior.
When communication involves threats, intimidation, or fear of retaliation, prioritize safety and seek individual support before rehearsing a confrontation. You do not need to find perfect wording to deserve respectful treatment. For ordinary disagreements, choose a manageable conversation and an appropriate time to practice. The Communication Style Test offers a related self-assessment; its results are prompts for reflection, not a diagnosis.
References
- Alberti R, Emmons M. Your Perfect Right: Assertiveness and Equality in Your Life and Relationships. 10th ed. Impact Publishers; 2017.
- Speed BC, Goldstein BL, Goldfried MR. Assertiveness training: a forgotten evidence-based treatment. Clin Psychol Sci Pract. 2018.
- Centre for Clinical Interventions. Assert Yourself! Resources on recognizing and practicing assertive communication. Government of Western Australia. https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/For-Clinicians/Interpersonal-Problems
Cite this source
Psychology.com. (2026, September 16). Communication Styles. Psychology.com. https://psychology.com/tools/communication-styles
Communication Styles FAQ
What are the four communication styles?
Passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. They differ in how you balance your own needs with the other person's, from self-erasing (passive) to balanced and direct (assertive). Treat these as descriptions of behavior in a particular conversation. Look at what was said, whether a need was expressed, and whether the other person had room to disagree before choosing a label.
What is the healthiest communication style?
Assertive communication, because it expresses your needs and boundaries clearly while still respecting the other person. It is honest without being hostile. A useful starting point is to describe the situation, name your need, and make a concrete request. You can listen to the response and still hold a boundary. A respectful request does not guarantee agreement or make you responsible for someone else's reaction.
What is passive-aggressive communication?
Appearing agreeable on the surface while expressing anger indirectly through sarcasm, the silent treatment, procrastination, or subtle sabotage. Before assuming someone is being passive-aggressive, check the context and ask what they mean. A delayed response or unfinished task alone does not establish intent. If you recognize indirect anger in yourself, try naming the concern plainly and making a specific request.
Can you change your communication style?
Yes. Assertiveness is a learnable skill. With practice, using tools like I-statements, most people can shift from passive or aggressive defaults toward an assertive style. Start with a situation that feels manageable, rehearse the wording, and reflect afterward on what you expressed clearly. Change can feel awkward. If fear or repeated conflict makes practice difficult, a therapist can help you identify obstacles and adapt the approach.
How do I know which communication style I use?
Notice what you do under stress, since most people default to one style in tense moments even if they act differently when calm. Ask whether you tend to stay quiet about your needs (passive), push your view at others' expense (aggressive), agree outwardly but resist quietly (passive-aggressive), or state your needs directly while respecting the other person (assertive). Many people shift styles by context, such as work versus home.
What is the difference between assertive and aggressive communication?
Both involve stating your needs directly, but assertive communication respects the other person's needs and feelings while aggressive communication overrides them through blame, criticism, or intimidation. Assertive communication sounds like a request; aggressive communication sounds like a demand or an attack. The styles can look similarly confident, but assertive communication tends to build trust, while aggressive communication tends to damage it over time.