Psychologically, people tend to behave based on their cognitive and emotional health. The actions or deeds of an individual reflect his ability to understand the impact of those actions, not only to himself, but also to those around him, and often provide a window to the intellectual health of that person, hence the common belief that ‘a man is as he thinks’
When actions and behaviors fail to correspond to the minimum expectations of society, then the individual is said to be intellectually deficient, or simply ignorant. Ignorance can be addressed by shedding light to the individual on the consequences of his actions, but in the case of intellectual deficiencies, then the application of cognitive – behavioral training may be critical to alter the behavior of that individual.
The main purpose of cognitive – behavioral assertiveness training is to encourage a patient to identify a particular behavior, which may be a habit, shed light on the behavior itself, the consequences that accompany that behavior and the impact of that behavior on others. The patient is then encouraged to think of an alternative behavior and put it in practice with the hope of yielding positive results. Emphasis on the alternative behavior is enhanced through positive reinforcement.
Emotions play a critical role in behaviors of an individual. The use of cognitive – behavioral assertiveness training aims to address the emotional health of a patient, by ultimately changing the way he thinks of himself and his environment. The training targets to address some of the emotionally triggered disorders such as Depression, anxiety, panic, phobias, stress, obsessive-compulsive disorder and weight loss. By shedding light on the automatic or irrational thoughts that cause ill feeling, the patient is then trained on how to arrest these thoughts and feelings, and replace them with positive thoughts that aim to calm both the body and the mind.
It is worth it to note that this type of therapy can be applied in everyday life. To maintain an acceptable level of moral behavior will require constant emphasis of the worthiness of life. By applying cognitive – behavioral technique, a student is able to eventually graduate, a marriage is able to last through difficult times, a smoker or a drug addict is able to quit the habit, the rate of suicide among young people is likely to reduce significantly, as patients develop a healthy lifestyle.
In conclusion, Cognitive – behavioral assertiveness training has one main purpose, and that is to alter a behavior of a patient, using cognitive capabilities of that patient. The ability to think through a negative habit, and make an informed decision to alter that habit for the benefit of the patient and those around him, is best achieved through application of this therapeutic technique.
