Assertiveness

Self-Study Examination

Instructions: After studying the text answer the following true/false or multiple choice questions. Remember, there's only one answer to each question.

1.	Assertiveness and manipulation are two sides of the same coin.

a) True
b) False

2.	Which of the following terms correctly expresses the concept of assertiveness?

a) aggression
b) getting your way
c) equality
d) turning the other cheek

3.	Does the society in general encourage assertiveness?

a) yes
b) no

4.	In completing the Personal Growth Log, which is the easiest part to complete?

a) attitudes
b) behaviors
c) obstacles

5.	Most difficult obstacles to act assertively are _______.

a) internal
b) external

6.	The receiver of aggressive actions is most likely to feel

a) guilty at having achieved goals at the sender’s expense.
b) confused.
c) defensive.
d) contemptuous.

7.	In which of the following situations would it be wise to not be assertive?

a) someone cutting in front of you on the freeway
b) boss asking you to work through the weekend even though he knows you have important family plans
c) cutting short a telephone sales pitch
d) waiter with an attitude

8.	You go to a small party with your date where you discover that cocaine is being passed around. You do not want any part of it. What would be the assertive course of action?

a) You sternly rebuke your date for putting you in such a situation, and ask him to take you home immediately.
b) You take your friend aside, tell him drugs are not part of your life and nor should they be his, and ask to leave.
c) You join the party and pretend to enjoy the drug scene.

9.	Your husband has been critical of your weight and publicly humiliates you for not being attractive. What would be your assertive response?

a) You pay him back in kind, point out all his shortcomings, and tell him to correct his way first.
b) You silently accept his criticisms, and vow to work harder to lose weight.
c) You have a quiet talk with your husband, explain that you’re doing your best, and tell him you need his support and constructive criticism, not these public put-downs.

10.	In expressing an assertiveness message what is more important?

a) content of the message
b) how you deliver the message

11.	In which people is it customary for men to greet one another with a hug and kiss, and to stand very close to each other?

a) eastern European
b) South Asian
c) Chinese
d) Arabic

12.	Generally speaking, it has been said that among European peoples, the farther north one goes, the further apart individuals stand when engaged in conversation.

a) True
b) False

13.	In the United States, closeness seems to decrease in warmer climates.

a) True
b) False

14.	Which is the preferred method of expressing your displeasure?

a) “I’m damn mad about what you just did!”
b) “You’re an S.O.B.!”

15.	Select the correct statement:

a) Assertiveness is an inborn trait.
b) People can learn to be assertive.

16.	Can you identify a assertive thought from below?

a) I’m a failure.
b) The world owes me obedience.
c) The world is treating me badly.
d) When I speak, people listen (or else!)
e) no

17.	The author describes three “cognitive-behavioral” methods for dealing with thinking patterns. Which of the following is not such a method?

a) stress inoculation
b) thought stopping
c) stop imagining the worst
d) positive self-statement

18.	What would stress inoculation method do for you?

a) stop negative thoughts
b) prepare you to deal with a difficult situation
c) promote positive image

19.	While making positive self-statements the author advises you to exaggerate a little bit about who you are and your accomplishments.

a) True
b) False

20.	The credit for developing the SUD scale goes to one of the following persons:

a) Aaron Beck
b) Donald Meichenbaum
c) Dr. Joseph Wolpe
d) Dr. Carl Rogers

21.	What does the SUD scale measure?

a) aggressiveness
b) feelings of anxiety
c) inferiority complex
d) ability to get your way with people

22.	On the SUD scale value of 0 represents a state of complete relaxation.

a) True
b) False

23.	Who discovered and developed the EMDR method of anxiety reduction?

a) Joseph Wolfe
b) W.E.B. Dubois
c) Patsy Tanabe-Endsley
d) Francine Shapiro

24.	Which of the following methods of overcoming anxiety is relatively new and controversial?

a) Systematic Desensitization
b) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

25.	Which method of anxiety reduction is based on the premise that one can unlearn to be anxious?

a) Systematic Desensitization
b) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

26.	Which method has been shown to be helpful in overcoming the after-effects of traumatic stress situations?

a) Systematic Desensitization
b) Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

27.	Recent psychological thinking says that it is more important to change behavior, that attitude change would follow.

a) True
b) False

28.	An important principle of learning to be assertive says that one should begin with assertions where you are somewhat certain of success before proceeding to more difficult ones.

a) True
b) False

29.	In this chapter how many steps have the authors listed for increasing your assertiveness?

a) 5
b) 11
c) 17
d) 21

30.	Which of the following acts can be categorized as assertive behavior?

a) stand up for yourself
b) expression of warmth, caring, loving affection
c) both
d) none of the above

31.	Psychoanalyst Eric Fromm has defined 5 types of love in his book The Art of Loving. Which love is most relevant to the practice of assertiveness?

a) self-love
b) love of God
c) erotic love
d) maternal love
e) fraternal love

32.	If you act assertively most of the time, you are more likely to have satisfying relationships than if you act in nonassertive or aggressive ways.

a) True
b) False

33.	Anger is not a behavior, it’s a feeling.

a) True
b) False

34.	Everyone gets angry feelings at one time or another; some people express their anger, some choose not to.

a) True
b) False

35.	Contemporary research says that by expressing the anger, the angry feelings are released, and this would prevent health problems associated with “building up inside.”

a) True
b) False

36.	Which of the following is a True statement, not a myth?

a) Tantrums are healthy expression of anger.
b) Talking out anger gets rid of it.
c) Venting angry feelings is not psychologically healthy.
d) Angry feelings are released through aggressive acts.

37.	Rather than keeping your angry feelings toward someone bottled up within you, you should vent them to someone you trust, someone who’s willing to listen.

a) True
b) False

38.	Angry disposition is a genetic trait.

a) True
b) False

39.	Which individual has advanced the theory that hostility is harmful to the heart?

a) Friedman and Rosenmann
b) Charles Cole
c) Redford Williams
d) Carol Tavris

40.	Select the fact from the following statements:

a) Women are less angry than men.
b) Some people never get angry.
c) Verbal expression of anger is always desirable.
d) Most anger is directed toward those close to us, not strangers.

41.	Which of the following statements is clearly a myth?

a) Anger should always be contained until it can be expressed in a calm, rational manner.
b) Anger is always a destructive, sinful, undesirable emotion.
c) Defusing anger is the healthiest way to deal with it.
d) Anger is universal among human beings.

42.	“Mad dog in a lamb’s suit” expression fits one of the following put-downs:

a) direct verbal put-down
b) indirect verbal put-down
c) nonverbal put-down
d) self put-down

43.	The authors in their definition of intimacy list six dimensions that make for genuine intimacy. Which one of the following is not listed?

a) attraction
b) communication
c) purpose
d) sex

44.	True lovers automatically know each other’s thoughts and feelings.

a) True
b) False

45.	In some sexual relationships a partner many act to make the other person feel guilty, or manipulate the other into doing something. How would you categorize such behavior?

a) nonassertive
b) passive aggressive
c) aggressive
d) assertive

46.	In a marriage wife is avoiding sex by pretending that she’s having a headache. How would you categorize this behavior?

a) nonassertive
b) passive aggressive
c) aggressive
d) assertive

47.	After sex one partner in a relationship says, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t very good tonight.” How would you categorize this talk?

a) nonassertive
b) passive aggressive
c) aggressive
d) assertive

48.	Nonassertive behavior is accompanied by body language that is incongruent or subversive.

a) True
b) False

49.	Sex education for children belongs in the

a) home
b) schools
c) newspapers, TV
d) all of the above

50.	There’s abundant evidence that lack of adequate sex education leads to unwanted teen pregnancies and STDs.

a) True
b) False

51.	Richard was really excited. He had been pursuing Susan for weeks now, and they finally had agreed to a picnic at his favorite –virtually private–spot on the beach. It was a beautifully warm afternoon, and Susan had worn a particularly sexy bikini. As t

a) “Are you sure you’re man enough, Mr. Hotpants?”
b) “That sounds like fun, but I really need to be home in 20 minutes.”
c) “Uhh, sure, if you want to…”
d) “I’d like that. I have a condom and spermicide in my purse if you didn’t bring them.”

52.	In a new job which skill is more important?

a) listening
b) asking questions

53.	Which of the following responses is an example of syntonics technique in dealing with difficult people?

a) “I can see we need to work out a solution to this situation.”
b) “Is something wrong?”
c) “Do you see what I mean?”
d) “I’ll be glad to discuss this with you another time–when you’re not so upset.”

54.	Which method of dealing with bozos would you use when the person is totally unreasonable and the situation is not worth the energy it would take to resolve at the time?

a) Find Solutions
b) Take Direct Action
c) Change the Scene
d) Withdraw

55.	Which technique would you use to de-escalate a situation and help put you in control?

a) Syntonics
b) Request Clarification
c) Humor
d) Lifemanship

56.	In which of the following situations, being assertive would yield no lasting change?

a) someone driving below the speed limit on the road tying up the traffic
b) professor mispronouncing your name repeatedly
c) your mother-in-law meddling in your personal decisions
d) your neighbor’s dog pooping on your lawn regularly

57.	Most people find that increased assertiveness makes folks even more pleasant to be around.

a) True
b) False