A 16-year-old says his father believes he is evil and argues that fights occur because the father is unavailable, always watching TV. Which nurse statement would encourage assertive behavior?

A 16-year-old says his father believes he is evil and argues that fights occur because the father is unavailable, always watching TV. Which nurse statement would encourage assertive behavior?

• A. You should just accept the situation because your father is busy.
• B. Have you tried saying that directly to your dad? For example, you could say, 'I notice that you watch television when I'm telling you things that are important to me.'
• C. It might help to avoid talking about difficult topics.
• D. Assertiveness will only make him angrier and should be avoided.

Answer: (B)

Encouraging assertive behavior means guiding the teen to express his needs and feelings directly to his father in a calm, respectful way. The statement shown provides a concrete, direct way to do that: it uses an “I” focus to describe a specific behavior (watching TV) and its impact on something important to the teen, which is opening the door for a constructive conversation. It avoids blaming, which helps reduce defensiveness and makes it more likely the father will listen and respond. Other approaches push toward passivity (accepting the situation), avoidance of tough topics, or assuming assertiveness will provoke anger, none of which empower the teen to communicate boundaries and needs effectively.

Encouraging assertive behavior means guiding the teen to express his needs and feelings directly to his father in a calm, respectful way. The statement shown provides a concrete, direct way to do that: it uses an “I” focus to describe a specific behavior (watching TV) and its impact on something important to the teen, which is opening the door for a constructive conversation. It avoids blaming, which helps reduce defensiveness and makes it more likely the father will listen and respond.

Other approaches push toward passivity (accepting the situation), avoidance of tough topics, or assuming assertiveness will provoke anger, none of which empower the teen to communicate boundaries and needs effectively.