ABSTRACT
Learning to be assertive in your day-to-day life is an important part of feeling good about yourself. The first step to becoming more assertive is to clearly understand the difference between being assertive and being aggressive, passive-aggressive, or passive. Read the following definitions and think about how they are different. Also keep in mind that the goal is not necessarily to be assertive in all situations. Sometimes it makes sense to use the other styles. For example, you probably want to be passive when you are stopped by a police officer for speeding. Otherwise, you are likely to create more problems for yourself. You need to develop you own individual style of letting others know who you are and what you want. Use this handout as a way to begin moving in that direction.
