Anger and consciousness of rights may play a significant role in victimization prevention. In an attempt to examine how personal defense and assertiveness training would alter women's feelings of fear, helplessness, and anger, as well as their judgments of what rights they have, three studies were conducted. The first study, a participant observation study of two personal defense classes for women, met twice a week for 14 weeks and had an enrollment of 37. Observation indicated that learning to redefine a sexual assault and feeling angry rather than afraid were difficult for the women. The second study focused on the effects of personal defense training on perceived rights and resistance. At the beginning and end of a 14 week program, students in personal defense training classes (N=33) answered questionnaires designed to measure perceived rights and the likelihood of enacting those rights. Data analysis of both pre- and post-tests indicated a correlation between anger and the likelihood of resisting assault. The third study focused on assertiveness training. Post-test scores indicated an increased awareness of rights. The results of all three studies suggest that women can be taught to prevent victimization by responding with anger, rather than fear, to an infringement of their rights. (AG)