BRAIN FOOD: Are you suffering from ... Passive Aggression?

BRAIN FOOD: Are you suffering from ... Passive Aggression? - Do you agree to do something then not do it? Compliment someone with an insult? The term Passive-Aggressive came in after the second world war to describe soldiers who weren't openly insubordinate but shirked duty through procrastination and wilful incompetence Passive-Aggressives can't show anger directly, so it comes out in all the wrong places. By failing, they show you up. You asked them to do the presentation that they didn't want to do, so they didn't do it. Teaching them to show anger is the best lesson, though once liberated it may never stop. You've then got a rageaholic with Mike Tyson's assertiveness.

by Helen Kirwan-Taylor - helen@kirwantaylor.com

Published: 01 Oct 2003

Last Updated: 09 Oct 2013

Do you agree to do something then not do it? Compliment someone with an insult? The term Passive-Aggressive came in after the second world war to describe soldiers who weren't openly insubordinate but shirked duty through procrastination and wilful incompetence Passive-Aggressives can't show anger directly, so it comes out in all the wrong places. By failing, they show you up. You asked them to do the presentation that they didn't want to do, so they didn't do it. Teaching them to show anger is the best lesson, though once liberated it may never stop. You've then got a rageaholic with Mike Tyson's assertiveness.