Mr. and Mrs. A are at dinner in a moderately expensive restaurant. Mr. A has ordered a rare steak, but when the steak is served, Mr. A finds it to be very well done, contrary to his order. His behavior is one of the following:

 Non-assertive: Mr. A grumbles to his wife about the "burned" meat, and observes that he won't patronize this restaurant in the future. He says nothing to the waitress, responding "Fine!" to her inquiry "Is everything all right?" His dinner and evening are highly unsatisfactory and he feels guilty for having taken no action. Mr. A's estimate of himself and Mrs. A's estimate of him are both deflated by the experience.

 Aggressive: Mr. A angrily summons the waitress to his table. He berates her loudly and unfairly for not complying with his order. His actions ridicule the waitress and embarrass Mrs. A. He demands and receives another steak, but Mrs. A's embarrassment creates friction between them and spoils their evening. The waitress is humiliated and angry and loses her poise for the rest of the evening.

 Assertive: Mr. A motions the waitress to his table. Noting that he had ordered a rare steak, he shows her the well-done meat, asking politely but firmly that it be returned to the kitchen and replaced with the rare-cooked steak he originally requested. The waitress apologizes for the error, and Mr. A feels satisfaction with himself. The waitress is pleased with a satisfied customer and an adequate tip.

After reading each of the following situations, write on a sheet of paper the ASSERTIVE RESPONSE you think appropriate for the situation.

1. You are in a crowded restaurant, patiently waiting to be served, when you notice that several people who came after you have already been served. Time passes, and you still have not been served, in spite of the fact that you ordered a simple dish that didn't require any lengthy preparation. You have grown very impatient and annoyed.

2. You are a very good tennis player. Your friend, Susan, with whom you often play, keeps saying that she would love to play with someone who is a match for her skills, thus implying that you are not. Your opinion is that Susan is a third-rate player.

3. You are waiting in line at a theater when the couple ahead of you invites three friends to join them in the line ahead of you. You know that the theater is almost full and that only a few tickets are still available.

 4. You have asked your mother-in-law not to give little Elliott a piece of chocolate cake because it will spoil his dinner. She says that she made the cake especially for Elliott and gives him a piece.

5. You go to an appliance store the day of their annual clearance sale. You are one of the first people there. When you tell the salesman that you are interested in one of their six color television sets advertised at a reduced price, he tells you that all of them have already been sold but that he will be glad to show you some other, more expensive sets.

 6. Cathy, a friend of yours, has a habit of dropping in unexpectedly at all times of the day. You like Cathy but dislike very much her barging in on you.

7. You are looking forward to playing golf with some friends on Saturday. When you come home on Friday night, your wife, who knew about your plans, tells you that she has accepted an invitation to lunch on Saturday for both of you.

8. A teacher gives you a D on a test, and you are sure that you deserve a much better grade.