ABSTRACT
In this chapter I start with a bit of thought about change. Most people who are reading this book will be interested in change and presumably they believe that they can change. However, there are others who think that the way they are now is the way they are going to be for ever. This is not a helpful way of thinking if one is wanting to become more assertive because becoming more assertive involves change. I then go into more detail about what academic assertiveness is. One of the ways of learning about assertiveness is to learn also what it is not. It is not aggression, nonassertion, or manipulation. I will explore those ideas and their outcomes because it is important to be able to recognize them as behaviors. It is a part of increasing your awareness. Then there are, in common with other chapters, the sections with exercises and the journals that are written by Christina and Tom.
