What is assertiveness? It is one of the essential skills that every successful person possesses in his or her daily life. Assertiveness is simply the state of being confident and self-confident without being arrogant and self-indulgent. In the world of therapy and psychology, it is also a useful mode of verbal communication.
For the psychologist, assertiveness is a psychological concept that helps to identify the link between behavior and emotional experiences. Usually, we tend to adopt a particular behavior or belief without really understanding its origin. We just tend to perform the behavior as it is our “normal” behavior. But then, when confronted by a challenge to our original belief, we will either try to justify our original belief or reject the challenge outright.
This is how assertiveness comes into play. When faced with situations wherein we are not able to perform our usual behavior, we tend to adapt a particular coping strategy or try to justify our behavior. In order to make things more difficult, other people often interpret our behavior or react to the situations in a way that is contrary to our original idea of the situation. Thus, we end up getting upset or even angry at the situation.
What is assertiveness without aggression? To be clear, assertiveness is not a form of defensive behavior. Instead, it’s a way of responding to situations with assertive actions. When you learn assertiveness skills, you will be able to control your emotions so that you can respond in a more assertive manner without unnecessarily provoking others.
There are many people who believe that they do not have the ability to change their negative beliefs, which is why they feel uncomfortable addressing their problems. In addition, there are many people who think that their aggressive nature is something that they are just born with. While some people may truly have this personality characteristic, there are also those who were taught that it was something that they could not control. Fortunately, you do not need to believe in yourself or accept that you cannot change your aggressive behaviors in order to effectively address the issues that you feel are affecting your relationships.
Learning assertive communication skills is the key to gaining control over your emotions. You can then use these skills needed to respond appropriately to situations where you feel frustrated or angry. In addition, you can work to make sure that you avoid situations in which you will likely be confronted with your own aggressive tendencies. By learning assertive communication skills, you will be able to effectively communicate your point of view to others in a non-threatening manner. Moreover, this can improve the relationship between you and your significant other. Learn more today!