„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

sexist remarks, and handling various other specific situations encountered in one’s
personal, social, and professional life.
A person may feel capable of being assertive in a situation but make a conscious
decision not to be so, because of such things as power issues or the time or effort
involved. Before making a decision to be assertive, it is helpful to examine the six
components of an assertive situation:
1. The potential asserter’s basic human rights and level of confidence that he or she
has these rights;
2. The specific behavior to which the potential asserter is responding;
3. The potential asserter’s “feeling” reactions to this specific behavior;
4. The specific behavior that the potential asserter would prefer;
5. The possible positive and negative consequences for the other person if that
person behaves as the potential asserter wishes; and
6. The potential consequences of the assertive response for the potential asserter.
Once the situational assertive components have been determined, assertiontraining
techniques provide a means of formulating and enacting an assertive response.
CONCLUSION
Assertion theory offers a model for those who wish to stand up for their own rights
without violating the human rights of others. It is a model that can be used in all types of
situations—personal, professional, and social—to facilitate honest, direct, functional
communication.
REFERENCES AND READINGS
Alberti, R.E., & Emmons, M.L. (1974). Your perfect right: A guide to assertive behavior (2nd ed.). San Luis
Obispo, CA: Impact.
Alberti, R.E., & Emmons, M.L. (1975). Stand up, speak out, talk back!: The key to self-assertive behavior. New
York: Simon & Schuster.
Bloom, L.L., Coburn, K., & Pearlman, J. (1975). The new assertive woman. New York: Delacorte.
Cummings, E., et al. (1974). Assert your self. Seattle: Seattle-King County N.O.W.
Fensterheim, H., & Baer, J. (1975). Don’t say yes when you want to say no: How assertiveness training can
change your life. New York: McKay.
Jakubowski-Spector, P. (1973). Facilitating the growth of women through assertive training. The Counseling
Psychologist, 4(1), 75-86.
Jakubowski-Spector, P. (1977). Self-assertive training procedures for women. In D. Carter & E. Rawlings (Eds.),
Psychotherapy with women. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Lazarus, A., & Fay, A. (1975). I can if I want to: The direct assertion therapy program to change your life. New
York: William Morrow.
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The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer