Asserting Control

ASSERTING CONTROL

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

 In our dealings with other people, most of us don't consider that we can choose the behaviour that we use.  Most of us automatically apply behaviours that are a product of our conditioning, resulting from experience.  We learn our responses as we grow up and rarely alter them.

In this module the reader explores the impact of aggressive, assertive and non-assertive behaviours, in order to discover the value of behaving assertively.

Interestingly, Aggression and Non-Assertion have much in common as:

• They are both inefficient ways of coping with life's pressures
• Both frequently lead to anxiety or depression

Assertion, on the other hand, allows us to reach goals whilst respecting other people.  Assertion suggests that we communicate openly and directly and that self esteem is maintained.  Assertion means confronting problems as they arise and dealing with conflict as it occurs without letting negative feelings build.

Using diagnostics and discussion notes, this 40-page module is designed to help the reader

• Clearly understand their behaviours.

• Learn to use assertiveness skills that optimise the effectiveness of their interpersonal relationships.

• Use assertion techniques to encourage mutually satisfactory communication.

Once the reader is comfortable with interpreting behavioural signals, they then gain:

• An understanding of what assertiveness is.
• An overview of the strategies and skills available to be more assertive.
• Some specific techniques for behaving assertively.