social skills and assertiveness

What they are social skills and assertiveness?

Human beings are social by nature and therefore need to establish personal relationships with others. These relationships are a source of comfort, affection and support needed to a greater or lesser extent for all people, as we allow to bond and meet our attachment needs, give us back an image of ourselves and are necessary to develop in all levels of our life.

One of the problems with which we can find, is struggling to establish or maintain these social relations, either for lack of social skills, difficulties in them or communicative style inadequate that is, a passive style and / or aggressive.

social skills are a set of capabilities that the person expresses their feelings, desires, opinions and needs of others and to be learned and improve throughout life and are mediated by personal factors and the environment. These skills are closely related with assertiveness.

When we talk about assertiveness, we talk about being able to express one's thoughts, feelings and desires thinking that the / s person / s who / is he / s express It has / have the same rights, without harming anyone and respecting oneself and others. It is not having a behavior or aggressive or passive, but to seek a balance and midpoint. Thereby further adaptation to situations where there is conflict of opinions and interests is achieved.

What indicators can point to difficulties in social skills?

• Establishment superficial relationships, without trust.
• fear of conflict and avoidance of it.
• Excessive shyness or fear of negative evaluation.
• Inability to say "nO" and put limits on others, or put them aggressively.
• Fear to hurt him.
• Avoidance of initiating or maintaining conversations.
• Avoidance social situations.
• no expression of one's own needs or do it aggressively.
• Letting are others always get their way but not agree.
• to impose one's own desires and opinions without regard to others.

  this can result in the person anxiety, sadness, fear, difficulty in establishing social relationships and maintain and feelingrejection and even isolation among others.

  Can work to acquire or improve social skills?

  The answer is yes. In therapy it works to understand what are the social skills, influencing our daily lives, learn techniques to acquire a way of relating more assertive strategies to express opinions, desires, requests and to say "no" to identify own emotions and those of others from empathy, modifying beliefs and erroneous thoughts, acquire, self-management techniques and problem solving among others. skills needed to establish positive relationships

  If you feel identified with these difficulties and think you need help, or know someone who may be feeling well, do not hesitate to contact the professional team of Athena -. Clinical Psychology so we can help