CARPE DIEM Teen Magazine May. 2014 | Page 4

It is the ability to express your thoughts, choose how to react and speak what you feel is right, when it is appropriate. This definition is according to the webpage “mindtools.com” With this they mean that you should make the right decisions at the right time, something that as teenagers, we found difficult to do.

Have you ever thought what the benefits of being assertive are? The effects of assertiveness are raise your self-esteem, help develop self-confidence, disagree when it is important, and ask others to change their offensive behavior. All these effects were confirmed by the CCI. So, what are you waiting to become assertive?

When a problem happens, usually you react in three different ways. Attack and retreat are instinctive responses. Critical thinking is a rational response. Attacking and retreating are bad choices, so you should not follow them. Critical thinking, in the other hand, is good.

The reaction that characterizes assertiveness is Critical thinking, because it is the one that involves being reasonable and taking care of the secondary effects it may bring. As teenagers, we have this perspective blocked. Assertive people avoid problems and take good choices. If you follow the idea of critical thinking, you will follow the path of an assertive person.

Assertive people goals are, principally, communication and mutuality. They have these goals as bases for the decisions they take. We need them in order to achieve good relationships and be good human beings, like in our closest friendships.

Assertiveness

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According to the University of Leeds, following the assertive conduct also has its implications; like defending your own rights, expressing yourself and to never violate others rights. With these set of rules, assertive people achieve a good environment used for social interaction with other people. They suffer from other people, which do not follow this set of rules and usually affect their human relationships.

Assertive people also give messages with their opinions or points of view, some of that we use include: “This is what I think.”, “This is what I feel.”, “This is how I see the situation.” With these messages we establish our opinions, but are open to others thoughts. A teenager life may face many of these situations, and you should just feel free to talk and listen to others.

An assertive person in general, expresses himself as a person: thoughts, wishes, and perceptions he has. Like when we dream for something or want to improve on it.

According to J. Gormally, between the perks an assertive person has, there are some abilities that help them to improve their interaction and problem solving. Some of this abilities are: Knowing when to confront a situation, when to say no, how to make requests, express opinions or affection, start conversations, and how to listen. To become an assertive person, you have to start practicing these abilities and including them in your daily life.

Do you know what assertiveness is?

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