Chapter 4: Assertiveness as the Ethical Act of Being a Singular Person: Choosing Oneself and Affrontement (Front-Facing) for Loving Communication

In this chapter, the authors present assertiveness as an anthropological and ethical issue, thus going beyond methodological, technical and good practices perspectives in organisations and human relations. To do so, the authors first aim to show that assertiveness in honesty and firmness are grounded in each person’s choices regarding his or her true condition of being himself or herself, as propounded in the existential thought of philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. It means transcending one’s ego and understanding that one is always in a reciprocal relationship of communication with others, which is a primordial expression of personal love. Secondly, the authors present the idea that the way to carry out assertiveness is via the act of affrontement or front-facing, as personalist philosopher Emmanuel Mounier has laid out that concept: specifically, as the act of facing, not to confront or to oppose another, but rather to deny the occultation of another person and to open oneself up to a relationship of creative encounter with others. It is the space of truth in which each person is fully realised with dignity, thus making assertiveness a necessity, an impulse and an ethical obligation.