Like any other human skill, assertiveness can be learned, trained and improved. This is achieved through techniques called Assertive Training (or also Social Skills Training, although this encompasses a greater number of competencies). In PsicologíaOnline, we present this article about Social Skills: Assertive training.
Why assertive training?
Social skills and more specifically assertiveness are basic skills for our development in daily life. People have different interests and ways of seeing the world, which is why interpersonal conflict is the order of the day. When these skills are not sufficiently developed or are used in the wrong way, frustration and dissatisfaction arise.
With respect to mental health, it is a technique that has been proven effective in the treatment of depression, anxiety and stress caused by interpersonal relationships. It helps us respect others, and therefore ourselves.
What is assertive training like?
There are several methods of Assertive Training, below we show you a procedure structured in 6 stages:
- Identify the basic styles of interpersonal behavior: Aggressive, passive and aggressive style. The function of this stage is to distinguish between each of the styles, recognizing the best way to act in accordance with the assertive style. It will also help us recognize our mistakes in this area.
- Identify the situations in which we want to be more assertive. It is about identifying in which situations we fail, and how we should act in the future. The degree to which our response to problematic situations can make the result positive or negative is analyzed.
- Describe problematic situations. It is about analyzing situations in terms of who, when, what and how intervenes in that scene, identifying our negative thoughts and the objective we want to achieve.
- Write a script for changing our behavior. It is a written plan to confront the behavior assertively. Here we try to put problem situations in writing and clarify what we want to achieve. The trainer molds the script together with the patient so that it is expressed in a specific way.
- Development of appropriate body language. A series of behavioral guidelines are given in terms of non-verbal language (look, tone of voice, posture, etc.), and the appropriate instructions are given for the person to rehearse in front of a mirror.
- Learn to identify and avoid the manipulations of others. Other people use stratagems to manipulate you, making you feel guilty, avoiding the conversation or victimizing yourself. A series of techniques are given to resist the influence of others.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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