Passive vs. Negative — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Maham Liaqat — Updated on March 7, 2024
Passive behavior involves a lack of active response or resistance, often characterized by compliance or submission, while negative behavior is characterized by a pessimistic, unconstructive, or harmful attitude or action.
Difference Between Passive and Negative
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Passive behavior can manifest as non-confrontation or avoidance in interpersonal relationships, where an individual may not express their own needs or opinions to avoid conflict. Negative behavior, on the other hand, involves actions or attitudes that are detrimental or unhelpful, such as criticism, hostility, or pessimism.
In communication, a passive approach might involve listening without providing feedback or opinions, reflecting a reluctance to engage actively. Conversely, negative communication can include complaining, criticizing, or speaking in a manner that discourages positive interaction or outcomes.
The impact of passive behavior is often internalized, leading to potential resentment or dissatisfaction due to unmet needs or unexpressed feelings. In contrast, negative behavior typically affects others more directly, causing discomfort, conflict, or damage to relationships and environments.
Both passive and negative behaviors can be counterproductive in personal and professional settings; however, they stem from different motivations and manifest in distinct ways. Passive behavior is usually driven by a desire to avoid conflict or confrontation, while negative behavior may stem from dissatisfaction, frustration, or a pessimistic outlook.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Characterized by inaction or a tendency to submit without resistance.
Characterized by pessimism, criticism, or harmful actions.
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Communication
Often involves non-confrontational responses or avoidance of expressing personal views.
Includes critical, discouraging, or pessimistic expressions.
Impact on Self
Can lead to internalized resentment or dissatisfaction due to unexpressed needs.
Often involves externalizing discontent, which can lead to personal stress or unhappiness.
Impact on Others
May cause frustration due to lack of engagement or clarity in communication.
Can lead to conflict, hurt feelings, or a negative atmosphere.
Underlying Causes
Desire to avoid conflict or confrontation.
Frustration, dissatisfaction, or a pessimistic outlook.
Compare with Definitions
Passive
Exhibiting or involving inaction or indecision, especially in situations requiring assertiveness.
His passive stance during meetings often led to missed opportunities.
Negative
Expressing or containing negation or denial.
Negative responses to the proposal were more common than anticipated.
Passive
Characterized by a lack of active resistance or initiative.
The passive crowd did not react to the speaker's provocations.
Negative
Involving or characterized by refusal or denial.
The committee's negative stance on the issue stalled progress for months.
Passive
Accepting or allowing what happens without active response or resistance.
Her passive acceptance of the decision surprised everyone.
Negative
Not optimistic; expecting the worst possible outcome.
His negative outlook on life made him difficult to motivate.
Passive
Not participating actively, often leading to lack of contribution or engagement.
Passive members of the team rarely contributed to the discussion.
Negative
Harmful or detrimental in effect.
The negative impact of the policy was felt across the industry.
Passive
Inclined to accept or go along with others' actions or decisions without protest.
His passive nature made him easy to work with but hard to respect as a leader.
Negative
Characterized by criticism or disapproval rather than constructive suggestions.
Her negative feedback often discouraged the team rather than helping them improve.
Passive
Accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance
The women were portrayed as passive victims
Negative
Expressing, containing, or consisting of a negation, refusal, or denial
Gave a negative answer to our request.
Passive
Denoting a voice of verbs in which the subject undergoes the action of the verb (e.g. they were killed as opposed to the active form he killed them).
Negative
Indicating opposition or resistance
A negative reaction to the new advertising campaign.
Passive
(of a circuit or device) containing no source of electromotive force
A passive optical network is to be installed in 2000 homes
Negative
Unpleasant; disagreeable
Had a negative experience on his first job.
Passive
(of a metal) made unreactive by a thin inert surface layer of oxide.
Negative
Gloomy; pessimistic
A negative outlook.
Passive
A passive form of a verb.
Negative
Unfavorable or detrimental
A negative review.
A negative effect on the child's development.
Passive
Receiving or subjected to an action without responding or initiating an action in return
The mind viewed as a passive receptacle for sensory experience.
Negative
Hostile or disparaging; malicious
Ran a negative campaign against her opponent.
Passive
Accepting or submitting without objection or resistance; submissive
A passive acceptance of one's fate.
Negative
(Medicine) Not indicating the presence of a particular disease, condition, or organism.
Passive
Existing, conducted, or experienced without active or concerted effort
“Although tick paralysis is a reportable disease in Washington, surveillance is passive, and only 10 cases were reported during 1987–1995” (US Department of Health and Human Services). “[Many parents believe] that computers are educational and, at the least, less passive than television” (Laurie Hays).
Negative
(Philosophy) Of or relating to non-being or the absence of qualities rather than being or the possession of qualities
The purely negative virtue of unselfishness.
Passive
Of, relating to, or being certain bonds or shares that do not bear financial interest.
Negative
(Logic) Designating a proposition that denies agreement between a subject and its predicate.
Passive
Of, relating to, or being a solar heating or cooling system that uses no external mechanical power.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity less than zero.
Passive
(Grammar) Of, relating to, or being a verb form or voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject is the object of the action or the effect of the verb. For example, in the sentence They were impressed by his manner, were impressed is in the passive voice.
Negative
Of or relating to the sign (−).
Passive
(Chemistry) Unreactive except under special or extreme conditions; inert.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity to be subtracted from another.
Passive
(Electronics) Exhibiting no gain or contributing no energy
A passive circuit element.
Negative
Of or relating to a quantity, number, angle, velocity, or direction in a sense opposite to another of the same magnitude indicated or understood to be positive.
Passive
The passive voice.
Negative
Of or relating to an electric charge of the same sign as that of an electron, indicated by the symbol (−).
Passive
A verb or construction in the passive voice.
Negative
Of or relating to a body that has more electrons than protons.
Passive
Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.
Negative
(Chemistry) Of or relating to an ion, the anion, that is attracted to a positive electrode.
Passive
Taking no action.
He remained passive during the protest.
Negative
(Biology) Moving or turning away from a stimulus, such as light
A negative tropism.
Passive
(grammar) Being in the passive voice.
Negative
A statement or act indicating or expressing a contradiction, denial, or refusal.
Passive
(finance) Not participating in management.
Negative
A statement or act that is highly critical of another or of others
Campaign advertising that was based solely on negatives.
Passive
(aviation) Without motive power.
A passive balloon; a passive aeroplane; passive flight, such as gliding and soaring
Negative
Something that lacks all positive, affirmative, or encouraging features; an element that is the counterpoint of the positive
“Life is full of overwhelming odds. You can't really eliminate the negatives but you can diminish them” (Art Linkletter).
Passive
(electronics) Of a component: that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
Negative
A feature or characteristic that is not deemed positive, affirmative, or desirable
“As voters get to know his liberal views, his negatives will rise” (Richard M. Nixon).
Passive
Where allowance is made for a possible future event.
Negative
(Grammar) A word or part of a word, such as no, not, or non-, that indicates negation. See Usage Note at double negative.
Passive
(grammar) The passive voice of verbs.
Negative
The side in a debate that contradicts or opposes the question being debated.
Passive
(grammar) A form of a verb that is in the passive voice.
Negative
An image in which the light areas of the object rendered appear dark and the dark areas appear light. In a color negative, hues are also reversed so that each color is represented by its complementary color.
Passive
(marketing) A customer who is satisfied with a product or service, but not keen enough to promote it by word of mouth.
Negative
A film, plate, or other photographic material containing such an image.
Passive
(electronics) Any component that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
Negative
(Mathematics) A negative quantity.
Passive
Not active, but acted upon; suffering or receiving impressions or influences; as, they were passive spectators, not actors in the scene.
The passive airUpbore their nimble tread.
The mind is wholly passive in the reception of all its simple ideas.
Negative
To refuse to approve; veto.
Passive
Receiving or enduring without either active sympathy or active resistance; without emotion or excitement; patient; not opposing; unresisting; as, passive obedience; passive submission.
The best virtue, passive fortitude.
Negative
To deny; contradict.
Passive
Inactive; inert; unreactive; not showing strong affinity; as, red phosphorus is comparatively passive.
Negative
To demonstrate to be false; disprove.
Passive
Designating certain morbid conditions, as hemorrhage or dropsy, characterized by relaxation of the vessels and tissues, with deficient vitality and lack of reaction in the affected tissues.
Negative
To counteract or neutralize.
Passive
The voice used to indicate that the grammatical subject of the verb is the recipient (not the source) of the action denoted by the verb;
`The ball was thrown by the boy' uses the passive voice
`The ball was thrown' is an abbreviated passive
Negative
Not positive nor neutral.
Passive
Lacking in energy or will;
Much benevolence of the passive order may be traced to a disinclination to inflict pain upon oneself
Negative
(physics) Of electrical charge of an electron and related particles
Passive
Peacefully resistant in response to injustice;
Passive resistance
Negative
(mathematics) Of a number: less than zero
Passive
Expressing thatthe subject of the sentence is the patient of the action denoted by the verb;
Academics seem to favor passive sentences
Negative
(weather) Less than zero degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Negative
Denying a proposition.
Negative
Damaging; undesirable; unfavourable.
The high exchange rate will have a negative effect on our profits.
Customers didn’t like it: feedback was mostly negative.
Negative
Pessimistic; not tending to see the bright side of things.
I don’t like to hang around him very much because he can be so negative about his petty problems.
Negative
Of or relating to a photographic image in which the colours of the original, and the relations of left and right, are reversed.
Negative
(chemistry) Metalloidal, nonmetallic; contrasted with positive or basic.
The nitro group is negative.
Negative
Often preceded by emotion, energy, feeling, or thought: to be avoided, bad, difficult, disagreeable, painful, potentially damaging, unpleasant, unwanted.
Negative
Characterized by the presence of features which do not support a hypothesis.
Negative
(slang) HIV negative.
Negative
(slang) COVID-19 negative.
Negative
Refusal or withholding of assents; prohibition, veto
Negative
An unfavorable point or characteristic.
Negative
(law) A right of veto.
Negative
(photography) An image in which dark areas represent light ones, and the converse.
Negative
(grammar) A word that indicates negation.
Negative
(mathematics) A negative quantity.
Negative
(weightlifting) A repetition performed with a weight in which the muscle begins at maximum contraction and is slowly extended; a movement performed using only the eccentric phase of muscle movement.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
(transitive) To refuse; to veto.
Negative
(transitive) To contradict.
Negative
(transitive) To disprove.
Negative
(transitive) To make ineffective; to neutralize, to negate.
Negative
No; nay.
Negative
Denying; implying, containing, or asserting denial, negation or refusal; returning the answer no to an inquiry or request; refusing assent; as, a negative answer; a negative opinion; - opposed to affirmative.
If thou wilt confess,Or else be impudently negative.
Denying me any power of a negative voice.
Something between an affirmative bow and a negative shake.
Negative
Not positive; without affirmative statement or demonstration; indirect; consisting in the absence of something; privative; as, a negative argument; negative evidence; a negative morality; negative criticism.
There in another way of denying Christ, . . . which is negative, when we do not acknowledge and confess him.
Negative
Asserting absence of connection between a subject and a predicate; as, a negative proposition.
Negative
Of or pertaining to a picture upon glass or other material, in which the lights and shades of the original, and the relations of right and left, are reversed.
Negative
Metalloidal; nonmetallic; - contrasted with positive or basic; as, the nitro group is negative.
Negative
A proposition by which something is denied or forbidden; a conception or term formed by prefixing the negative particle to one which is positive; an opposite or contradictory term or conception.
This is a known rule in divinity, that there is no command that runs in negatives but couches under it a positive duty.
Negative
A word used in denial or refusal; as, not, no.
No wine ne drank she, neither white nor red.
These eyes that never did nor never shallSo much as frown on you.
Negative
The refusal or withholding of assents; veto.
If a kind without his kingdom be, in a civil sense, nothing, then . . . his negative is as good as nothing.
Negative
That side of a question which denies or refuses, or which is taken by an opposing or denying party; the relation or position of denial or opposition; as, the question was decided in the negative.
Negative
A picture upon glass or other material, in which the light portions of the original are represented in some opaque material (usually reduced silver), and the dark portions by the uncovered and transparent or semitransparent ground of the picture.
Negative
The negative plate of a voltaic or electrolytic cell.
Negative
To prove unreal or untrue; to disprove.
The omission or infrequency of such recitals does not negative the existence of miracles.
Negative
To reject by vote; to refuse to enact or sanction; as, the Senate negatived the bill.
Negative
To neutralize the force of; to counteract.
Negative
A reply of denial;
He answered in the negative
Negative
A piece of photographic film showing an image with black and white tones reversed
Negative
Vote against; refuse to endorse; refuse to assent;
The President vetoed the bill
Negative
Characterized by or displaying negation or denial or opposition or resistance; having no positive features;
A negative outlook on life
A colorless negative personality
A negative evaluation
A negative reaction to an advertising campaign
A positive attitude
The reviews were all positive
A positive benefit
A positive demand
Negative
Reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive
Negative
Having a negative electric charge;
Electrons are negative
Protons are positive
Negative
Expressing or consisting of a negation or refusal or denial
Negative
Having the quality of something harmful or unpleasant;
Ran a negative campaign
Delinquents retarded by their negative outlook on life
Negative
Not indicating the presence of microorganisms or disease or a specific condition;
The HIV test was negative
Negative
Less than zero;
A negative number
Negative
Designed or tending to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions;
Negative criticism
Negative
Involving disadvantage or harm;
Minus (or negative) factors
Common Curiosities
How can negative behavior affect relationships?
Negative behavior can lead to conflict, hurt feelings, and a toxic atmosphere, damaging personal and professional relationships.
Can someone exhibit both passive and negative behaviors?
Yes, an individual can exhibit both passive and negative behaviors, depending on the situation and their underlying attitudes or emotions.
What are the consequences of passive behavior in the workplace?
Passive behavior in the workplace can lead to missed opportunities, lack of engagement, and potential dissatisfaction due to unexpressed needs or opinions.
How can one address passive behavior in themselves or others?
Addressing passive behavior involves encouraging open communication, assertiveness training, and fostering an environment where opinions and needs can be expressed freely.
Can passive and negative behaviors be changed?
Yes, with self-awareness, effort, and potentially professional guidance, individuals can modify passive and negative behaviors to adopt more constructive and assertive patterns.
What is passive behavior?
Passive behavior involves inaction or a tendency to submit without resistance, often characterized by a lack of assertiveness or initiative.
What motivates negative behavior?
Negative behavior can be motivated by dissatisfaction, frustration, a pessimistic outlook, or personal challenges.
What are some strategies to counteract negative behavior?
Strategies to counteract negative behavior include fostering a positive environment, offering constructive feedback, and addressing underlying issues causing negativity.
How does negative behavior differ from passive behavior?
Negative behavior is characterized by pessimism, criticism, or harmful actions, whereas passive behavior involves a lack of active response or resistance.
Is passive behavior always negative?
While not inherently negative, passive behavior can become problematic if it leads to unaddressed issues, resentment, or lack of contribution.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
