Many so-called "confrontational personalities" are not inherently assertive or aggressive, but have long been in a people-pleasing phase: accustomed to tolerating, suppressing their needs, prioritizing others' feelings, yet rarely being truly respected or responded to. When they gradually realize that this pattern causes them to be at a disadvantage and exhausted for a long time, they begin to shift to the other extreme, moving from excessive suppression to strong expression, from constant retreat to firmness or even fierce self-defense. This stage is often called "confrontational personality" by outsiders. However, this change is more of a reactive self-protection rather than intentional harm to others; they are actually compensating for their long-neglected selves in the past, relearning how to set boundaries, express anger, and communicate needs. During this process, emotions and boundaries may still be unstable, but this is often not about becoming mean-spirited, rather a transitional phase from "daring not to speak up for oneself" to "beginning to try speaking up for oneself."