Assertiveness expands beyond social expression to include behavioral, emotional, and mental domains that collectively support personal well-being. Social assertiveness involves directly expressing desires and feelings while respecting others and has roots in behavioral psychology, reducing anxiety and promoting self-determination. A multidimensional framework integrates social, behavioral, emotional, and mental pathways, informed by the three waves of cognitive-behavioral psychology, and supplies targeted strategies and tools for each domain. The framework enables tailored interventions, practical implementation techniques, and measurable outcomes. Empirical testing, future research, and intervention development can validate effectiveness and refine tools for enhancing individual well-being across all four pathways.
The paper advances the concept that assertiveness can provide even more benefit to personal well-being by expanding the definition, strategies, and tools associated with assertiveness. Assertiveness has traditionally been defined as directly expressing what we want and how we feel while being respectful of the right of others to do the same (social assertiveness). This form of assertiveness is rooted in behavioral psychology and has been widely adopted in clinical and educational settings.
Recent psychological literature, however, underscores the need for a broader multidimensional framework for assertiveness-one that encompasses not only the social domain, but also the behavioral, emotional, and mental domains. Our paper introduces such a model including its rationale-rooted in the "three waves" of cognitive-behavioral psychology-and providing specific strategies and tools for implementation. In addition, we outline practical directions for empirical testing, future research, and intervention development.
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