Assertion involves clearly communicating your desires and feelings, especially in situations that are important to you. Failing to speak up when something is unimportant is not necessarily unassertive. Passive behavior is failing to speak up, while aggression involves being offensive. Assertion lies between these extremes, making your perspective known directly but respectfully. Fear often underlies passive, aggressive and passive-aggressive behaviors. Anger management techniques include controlling your breathing, counting, challenging irrational thoughts, and developing strategies to address real versus imagined fears. Building assertion skills involves clearly stating your perspective while acknowledging others' views to find a resolution.