Stress Mastery: The Art of Coping Gracefully

A Useful Framework for Assertive Behavior

Assertiveness training has been found to be a very effective stress-management technique for a wide variety of populations (Brehm, 1998). When learning to become more assertive or polishing your assertive skills, it can be very useful to have a framework or steps to follow in order to know how to construct a potentially effective assertive response. This applies on the job or in your personal life. You should find the following four-step framework helpful, especially at those times when you may be tongue-tied, for you can always fall back on these steps. This framework is not the gospel; you don't always have to follow this format, and this is not the only effective way to proceed. But nonetheless, it ...