How To Think More Assertively Worksheet Template Page 4
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15--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ASSERT YOURSELF!
An important part of these rights is that they come linked with responsibilities. You will
notice the first point says that you have the right to your own thoughts, behaviour and
emotions, but that you must then take responsibility for the consequences of these thoughts
and behaviours. Often people think they are behaving assertively, but they are ignoring the
consequences of their actions and the rights of others. This would be more typical of an
aggressive style of communication.
See if you can think of any other rights, particularly ones that balance out any unhelpful
beliefs you identified in the last section.
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How to change your beliefs
Identifying your unhelpful beliefs is the first step towards changing them. In fact, for some
people just realising that they have been thinking this way can be enough to help them
change, especially when they realise they have the right to change and think in a different
way.
However, for most people just realising they have been thinking in an unhelpful way isn’t
enough to change the thinking. In Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) one way of
addressing unhelpful thoughts is to challenge them head on. This is also called disputation.
Challenging or disputation works on the principle that most of our thoughts and beliefs are
learned opinions rather than facts. This means that they can be questioned rather than just
accepted blindly, particularly if they are causing us distress.
To challenge or dispute your thoughts means that you examine the evidence for and against
the thoughts. You evaluate them as if you were a detective or a lawyer. You are trying to
get to the bottom of the truth of the thought.
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Module 3 How to Think More Assertively
Page 4
nterventions
• Psychotherapy • Research • Training
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