A significant number of patients consulting general practitioners have emotional and behaviour problems in addition to, or rather than medical problems. Many such difficulties involve, or are a function of inadequate interpersonal relationships. The article begins by examining the relationship of assertion to interpersonal communication and its role in interactions with other people. The behavioural aspects of assertion, as well as its relationship to social anxiety, are also discussed. Assertive training as a behaviour modification technique for teaching assertion is described and the evidence for its efficacy briefly reviewed. The relevance of assertion and assertive training to community health is discussed.