Communication :: WHAT IS ASSERTIVENESS?

Assertive behavior usually centers on making requests of others and refusing requests made by others that have been judged to be unreasonable. Assertive behavior also captures the communication of strong opinions and feelings. Assertive communication of personal opinions, needs and boundaries has been defined as communication that diminishes none of the individuals involved in the interaction, with emphasis placed on communication accuracy and respect for all persons engaged in the exchange.

Assertiveness is conceptualized as the behavioral middle ground, lying between ineffective passive and aggressive responses. Passiveness is characterized by an over attention to the opinions and needs of others and the masking or restraining of personal opinions and needs. This over-attention to and compliance with the opinions and needs of others may serve as a strategy for conflict avoidance and/or maintenance of particular sources of social “reinforcement.” Aggressiveness often involves the imposition of one’s opinions and requirements on another individual. Implicit in the discussion of assertiveness is the suggestion that assertive behavior is the universally preferred behavioral alternative, and that assertive behavior necessarily leads to preferred outcomes. 

The degree to which assertive behaviors are to be considered superior to either a passive or an aggressive stance is determined by the situational context. The success of assertiveness does not always lie in tangible outcomes (e.g., request fulfillment). The success of assertiveness sometimes lies in the degree of personal control and personal respect that is achieved and maintained throughout the assertive exchange.

Pameran :: Kafan Turin Dipamerkan di Tengah Riset Baru

Pada hari Sabtu, Kafan Turin (The Shroud of Turin) dipamerkan dalam pertunjukan spesial di televisi di Vatikan, di tengah beredarnya hasil riset baru yang membantah klaim bahwa kain itu palsu. Riset baru itu juga mengatakan, kain itu berasal dari masa yang sama dengan kematian Yesus.

Paus Fransiskus mengirim pesan video khusus ke acara di katedral Turin, tetapi tidak berkomentar mengenai apakah gambar pria di Kain Kafan Turin itu benar-benar Yesus. Paus menyebut kain itu sebuah “ikon”, bukan relik alias peninggalan sejarah. Ini perbedaan kecil tapi penting.

“Gambar ini, yang tertera di kain, berbicara kepada hati kita dan menggerakkan kita untuk mendaki bukit Golgota … serta menenggelamkan diri kita dalam keheningan cinta yang agung,” katanya.

“Wajah rusak ini adalah wajah para pria dan wanita yang tersakiti oleh kehidupan yang tidak menghargai kehormatan mereka, oleh perang dan kekerasan yang menyengsarakan kaum lemah,” katanya. “Dan pada saat yang sama, wajah di Kafan menyampaikan kedamaian; tubuh yang tersiksa ini mengekspresikan keagungan.”

Banyak ahli meyakini hasil pengukuran karbon (carbon-dating) terhadap kain itu, yang mengatakan bahwa kain itu berasal dari abad ke-13 atau ke-14. Meski demikian, beberapa pihak mengatakan mungkin saja kain itu telah tercemar dan perlu ada sampel analisis lebih besar.

Selama ini, pihak Vatikan telah berhati-hati dalam menyikapi kain itu. Mereka menyebutnya lambang penderitaan Yesus, tetapi tidak berkomentar mengenai keaslian kain itu.

Kain dengan panjang 4,3 meter dan lebar 1 meter itu disimpan dalam kotak khusus yang tahan peluru di katedral Turin, tetapi jarang ditampilkan ke publik. Terakhir kali Kafan Turin diperlihatkan pada tahun 2010.

Penampilan Kafan Turin pada hari Sabtu bertepatan dengan peluncuran buku “The Mystery of the Shroud” yang mengatakan, kain itu berasal dari abad pertama. Hasil riset itu diambil berdasarkan tes mekanis dan kimiawi terhadap serat material kain.

Economic :: Labour Day in Australia

Labour Day, also known as Eight Hours Day in Tasmania and May Day in the Northern Territory, commemorates the granting of the eight-hour working day for Australians. It also recognizes workers’ contributions towards the nation’s economy. It is an annual public holiday and its date varies across the states and territories. 

What do people do

Many people use the Labour Day holiday as part of a long weekend where they can relax, spend time with friends or family members, play or watch sport, have barbecues. Some people plan a getaway trip to a coastal region, the mountains or the countryside where they can engage in various activities such as picnics, wine-tasting at a winery, bush-walking, or camping.

Throughout the nation, Labour Day is an occasion for unions, community groups and the general public to join in celebration. In Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane there are marches are held on or around Labour Day. They are often led by the state’s key political leaders and influential key figures. Union members often take part in these marches.

Public life

Labour Day is a public holiday in all states and territories in Australia. It is observed in Western Australia on the first Monday in March and on the second Monday in March in Victoria and Tasmania. It is celebrated in the Northern Territory and Queensland on the first Monday in May. It is held on the first Monday of October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia.

During this holiday government offices are closed, as are post offices, schools and many businesses. Those planning on using public transport on this holiday need to check with the local transport authorities prior to travelling.

Background

The history of Labour Day in Australia spans over a century. It is an important annual event that remembers those who struggled and succeeded to ensure decent and fair working conditions in Australia. During the mid to late 1800s the working day was long and arduous, where some employees would work up to 12 hours a day, six days a week.

Many Australians saw the need for better working conditions and in the 1850s there was a strong push for this. On April 21, 1856, stonemasons at the University of Melbourne marched to Parliament House to push for an eight-hour working day. An agreement with employers for a 48-hour week was eventually reached and Australian workers welcomed the new eight-hour day. A victory march was held on May 12 that year and each year after that. In 1856 the new work regulations were recognized in New South Wales, followed by Queensland in 1858 and South Australia in 1873.

In 1874, Tasmania joined the other states in adopting the shorter eight-hour working day. In 1879 the Victorian Government made one further step towards better conditions for employees by proclaiming a paid public holiday that year. In light of the labour movement’s successful push for an eight-hour day, a large May Day meeting was held in Melbourne in 1890. On May 1 that year a local newspaper made reference to that day as May Day.

One of the first May Day/Labour Day marches in Australia occurred on May 1, 1891 in Queensland. More than 1000 people participated in the march and carried banners. The leaders wore blue sashes and the Eureka flag was carried. It was reported that cheers were given for “the eight-hour day”. The Labour Day date was moved from May to the second Monday in March in some parts of Australia after World War II.  Since 1948, Labour Day in Western Australia has been observed on the first Monday in March. It marks the granting of the eight hour working day to Western Australians.

Communication :: Assertive Training :: TREATMENT

What Treatments are Effective?
Assertiveness training, when employed as part of a more comprehensive cognitivebehavioral therapy package, is useful for the treatment of people whose lack of assertiveness skills manifests behavior appears as either passivity or aggression. When the absence of assertive behavior is explained by affective or cognitive factors rather than a skills deficit, other strategies are recommended as adjuncts to of assertiveness skills training and practice. 

Examples of such strategies include relaxation training to reduce performance inhibiting anxiety or anger, cognitive restructuring to challenge negative performance predictions and overgeneralizations regarding performance errors, and cognitive reframing with respect to performance goals and measures of performance success.

What are Effective Self-Help Treatments?
There are a plethora of self-help resources available to clients interested in self-initiated efforts towards assertive behaving. These resources are largely in the form of assertiveness training books and internet site targeted directly at the lay person. Although the effectiveness of any individual resource is generally not available to the client he or she may rely on the credentials of the authors or site hosts (e.g., authors who emphasize empirical research and universities as site hosts) to guide their selection of self-help materials.

Self-help books.

● Alberti, R. E. & Emmons, M. L. (2001). Your perfect right: Assertiveness and equality in your life and relationships (8th ed.). Atascadero, CA: Impact Publishers.
● Burton, S., & Shelton, N. (1993). Assertiveness skills. New York: McGraw-Hill.

● Davidson, J. (1997). The complete idiot’s guide to assertiveness (1st ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Books.
● Dire, W. (1978). Pulling your own strings: Dynamic techniques for dealing with other people and living your life as you choose. New York: Harper Collins.
● Gabor, D. (2001). How to start a conversation and make friends. New York: Fireside.
● Magee, S, & Pachter, B. (2001). The power of positive confrontation: The skills you needto know to handle conflicts at work, at home, and in life. New York: Marlowe & Company.
● McKay, M., Rogers, P. D., & McKay, J. (2003). When anger hurts: Quieting the storm within, (2nd ed.) Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
● Nay, W. R. (2004). Taking charge of anger: How to resolve conflict, sustain relationships, and express yourself without losing control. New York: The Guilford Press.
● Paterson, R. J. (2000). The assertiveness workbook: How to express your idea and stand up for yourself at work and in relationships. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
● Petracek, L. J. (2004). The anger workbook for women. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Press.
● Valentis, J., & Valentis, M. (2001). Brave new you: 12 dynamic strategies for saying what you want and being who you are. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Self help websites.
● http://www.couns.msu.ed untuk self-help/index.htm (Michigan State University Counseling Center)
● http://www.uiowa.ed untuk ~ucs/asertcom.html (University of Iowa Counseling Services)
● http://www.uwec.ed untuk counsel/pubs/assertivecommunication.htm (University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Counseling Center)
● http://www.couns.uiuc.ed untuk Brochures/assertiv.htm (University of Illinois Counseling Services)
● http://oregonstate.ed untuk dept/counsel/assertivenessskills.html (Oregon State University Counseling Department)
● http://www.utexas.ed untuk student/cmhc/booklets/assert/assertive.html (University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center)
● http://www.twu.ed untuk o-sl/counseling (Texas Woman’s University Counseling Center)

● http://www.amanet.org/index.htm (American Management Association)