Assertiveness manual. Theory and practice of relational skills: to discover self and others
Roberto Anchisi, my gambotto dessy
Franco Angeli
Euro 32.00 – pg. 272
In cognitive behavioral therapy, theassertiveness He has always played an important role, especially in the context of the treatment of depressive disorders, so much so that he can almost say that he does not exist therapist of this training that he has not tried to teach it and transmit it to some of his patients.
This importance is demonstrated by the amount of texts and tools in this regard available, especially in English.
Writing a new book on the subject, therefore, may seem redundant and not necessary.
This manual instead has the undoubted merit of being very complete and in step with current developments in cognitive behavioral psychotherapy.
In the chapter dedicated to the conceptual structure of the manual, in fact, the authors indicate, as theoretical reference, in general evolutionism and theories of the so -called third wave and specifically the Acceptance Therapy of R. Hayes.
On the other hand, the authors deal with assertiveness For many years and have accumulated an experience such as to allow them to write a complete and structured manual, able to provide, to the professional who wants to try their hand at teaching these skills, a valid point of reference including all the necessary specific indications.
The first chapter is an introduction to concept of assertiveness; The authors, in an elegant way, citing different sources, give a historical cut to the concept, and through the characters of “I Promessi Sposi“Manzoni explain what is meant by passive, aggressive and assertive person.
In the second chapter, the evolution of the concept of assertiveness In the world of psychology and clinic, citing, among others, the work of authors such as Salter or Liberman. The second part of the chapter is dedicated to the main applications, in the clinical and psychiatric fields, of goodness.
The third chapter, as already mentioned above, constitutes the central and fundamental part of the manual: the authors define here the theoretical and conceptual structure of theassertivenessdeveloped according to the principles of Darwinism and the so -called third generation of cognitive behavioral therapy.
Nowadays the assertiveness overlaps the concept of purpose and value, becoming an ethical action itself aimed at regulating social relationships according to greater cooperation and mutual assistance.
The values are “the strength of mind, the dignity of the person and, in general, those ideals that help to give meaning to life, suffering, pain and, finally, to death“(P. 57).
From the fourth to the sixth chapter the real is presented ASSERTIVE training.
In the fourth chapter the authors explain the levels ofassertivenessThat is, they provide the map of the route to create an assertive training. The levels, intended according to a principle of growing integration, range from recognizing emotions, to their manifestation, up to self -knowledge, understood as values and self -esteem. In this chapter, moreover, the well -known 10 assertive rights are inevitably presented.
The fifth chapter is dedicated to non -verbal communication, to basic emotions (there is a wealth of photos in the manual), to eye contact and the voice.
The sixth chapter is dedicated to verbal communication, in which the authors explain how to build both the basic skills of the conversation (for example, how to ask questions) and the higher skills, such as the use of self-opening, the management of criticisms or the negative investigation.
The seventh chapter is dedicated to interventions on a cognitive level and on the so -called irrational ideas that concern theassertiveness. The authors, consistently with the proposed theoretical plan, refuse the concept of cognitive renovation to focus on that of cognitive defusion, use of the accident and metaphor, as well as on the development of the ability to refrain from judging the content of one’s thoughts.
The eighth chapter is dedicated to the development of skills to deal with specific situations, such as speaking in public or learning to negotiate, while in the ninth chapter, the authors indicate the different paradigms of the assertive training, understood as a way of building their own personal identity.
The eleventh chapter, which has more the value of appendix, are presented some simple tests for evaluating the assertive level.
Overall, the manual appears very intense, full -bodied, rich in quotes and example that help reading, even if this still requires attention and commitment.
The constant reference to the theories of the so -called third generation makes this book very current, interesting and certainly to read and study.
