This book is for anyone who feels inadequate, anxious, inhibited, shy, inept, socially challenged; it is for those who are afflicted with inferiority complexes, are excessively polite, or let others walk all over them; it is for those who are at everyone’s beck and call, are challenged in love, tenderness, sex — and it is also for anyone who doesn’t feel any of these things but wishes to communicate better with others. The authors explain clearly how to be completely ourselves, authentic and sincere; how to be at ease in our relationships without concealing our weaknesses or our qualities, without altering our behaviour from fear of how we will be judged, since it is impossible to please everyone. No one should ignore or hide their own personality in an effort to fit in with someone else’s desires, or to get closer to him or her. On the contrary. This is not to say we should be self-assertive at all costs. Being self-assertive does not mean being aggressive and challenging everyone else; it does not mean being manipulative, deceptive and acting under false pretences. What it means is recognising that our desires, preferences and feelings are as important as anyone else’s. Neither more nor less. Only then will we have attained the balance that psychiatrists and psychologists have labelled assertiveness. And this book is the perfect guide to finding that balance in every aspect of our daily lives.

• A short practical manual based on many examples taken from daily life.

• The book will enable readers to find the right balance between self-assertion and respect for others.

• The practical keys to lasting and fulfilling relations.

Dr. Chantal Joffrin-Le Clerc is a physician-psychiatrist working in Paris.

Dr. Franck Lamagnère is a physician-psychiatrist working in Paris.