This entry was posted on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at 10:51 am and is filed under Marriage counseling, Relationships, Relationsips, family communications, family conflict, family counseling, family dysfunction, family identity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Being assertive is a foundational communication skill. Many people when thinking of assertiveness in communications tend to misperceive it as hostile, abrupt and rude. This of course is very far from the reality; assertiveness is quite different than aggression.
Being assertive means that you express yourself effectively and stand up for your point of view, while also respecting the rights of others. Assertiveness, isn’t being overbearing, dictatorial or in other ways over controlling. If one were to conceptualize assertive communication as a scale, it would be the balance spot between being too aggressive and too passive.
Sometimes in families, there exists and out of balance communication system, this system may have a petty tyrant lording it over the rest of the family. This overlord of communication may not tolerate or appreciate assertive communication, and may actually pursue any assertive communication as if it were an inappropriate breaking of a mighty and scared law. This Lordling, may castigate and ridicule those that try to be assertive, which has the result of creating emotional and social distance between family members, erodes individual worth and self-esteem in the family members.
It has long been recognized that assertive balanced communication is a necessity for effective long term and satisfying relationships. Relationships where more than just one person feels heard, understood and respected. If assertiveness is an area that has been a struggle in your family, then maybe it is time to move into a more balanced and assertive style of communication.
To learn how to stand up for yourself and be more assertive in your family circle and to seek family counseling in Mesa AZ, we encourage you to call our office at (480) 478-4221 or schedule a complementary thirty minute consultation with one of our family therapists at Psychological Health and Wellness, meet with one of our family psychotherapists and learn how our relationship counselors can help you live a life free from the suffering effects of anxiety, depression, trauma and conflict. We are located in Mesa, AZ.
March 25th, 2010 at 12:35 am
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