Self-Assertion for Women

By Pam Butler

The bestselling assertiveness guide that shows women how to get what they want--reissued with a new preface by the author. Self-Assertion for Women offers practical advice with realistic sample... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0062501208
• ISBN13: 9780062501202
• Release Date: January 1981
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Still hugely helpful after all these years

While geared toward women, this book also contains much that's proven useful to men I know. Butler offers accessible, sensible advice on, among other subjects, how to set limits, handle criticism, and distinguish between assertiveness and aggressiveness. The chapter "What Are You Telling Yourself?" serves as a fine introduction to self-talk; for more on this topic, see Butler's other classic, "Talking to Yourself." So many of us have been trained to "be nice at any cost"--even when doing so means suppressing and denying our most essential selves and thereby incurring a host of unfortunate consequences, from not fulfilling our potential to full-blown chronic depression (with which women are diagnosed at a rate nearly twice that observed in men). One chapter, "Slef-Assertion in Your Professional Life," contains a fine section on "Positive Self-Presentation," which discusses why women often have such a hard time acknowledging their own competence, strengths, and accomplishments; it's worth a review by anyone who wants to succeed in the business world.

Butler's book is a classic; it's information has lasting value for women--and men too.

Pamela Butler does a terrific and thorough job walking women through the obstacles we face to asserting ourselves. She explains step-by-step with numerous examples and sample scripts how to assert in a way that respects both oneself and the other. Over the years I have found this book excellent personally and professionally. After recommending it to patients in my psychotherapy practice, I have been impressed by how they have been able to incorporate Butler's teachings into their lives. Butler writing combines serious professionalism with a down-to-earth approach that is accessible to people of all levels of psychological sophistication. While women have some gender related issues that canget in the way of self-assertion, they do not have a monopoly on difficulties in this area; many men can gain much from reading this book.