Skills for Psychosocial Competence ($1) Introduction By the end of this article, you should be able to: Define life skills. State the importance and types of life skills. Describe the developm ...

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Skills for Psychosocial Competence ($1)
Introduction
By the end of this article, you should be able to:
Define life skills.
State the importance and types of life skills.
Describe the development of life skills.
Discuss the methods used to enhance the acquisition of different life skills.
A life skill is a person's ability to maintain a state of mental well-being. It can also be defined as a person's ability to deal effectively with the demands arid challenges of everyday life. Life skills may be focused on personal actions, or on action towards others and the environment.
The importance of life skills
The following are reasons why life skills are important:
Promote healthy development that is physical, mental and social well-being.
They are effective intervention measures in responding to pandemics such as HIV/AIDS.
They help to resolve social problems in the society.
Help in the development of positive attitudes towards oneself and others.
They help in analyzing situations and making informed choices and decisions.
They are useful for developing negotiation skills and interpersonal relationships.
Enable individuals to identify and develop their full potential through the acquisition of skills and attitudes necessary for life.
Help individuals to identify and. understand their strengths and weakness, and to avoid conflicts, thereby leading to health development.
Promote the building of self-esteem, self-confidence and self1 worth, qualities which are necessary:' for life adjustment.
Help in prevention of mental disorders, and health and behavioral problems.
Help individuals to understand themselves and others in relation to their culture and environment, and to guard against aspects that negatively influence the health.
Types of life skills
Life skills are divided into three categories, each with its sub-skills. These are:
Coping and-self management, skills
Communication and interpersonal skills
Decision making skills.
Coping and self-management skills
Self-management skills are skills that help individuals to develop insight and understand themselves better. These include, self-awareness, self-esteem, coping with emotion and stress.
Self-awareness. This is the person's knowledge of self, strengths and limitations, abilities and inabilities. It involves understanding oneself better, as well as one's background, potential, feeling, emotions, likes, dislikes and ones position in the society. This is the basis of all skills learners should learn to be able: to evaluate themselves.
Self-esteem. This is the feeling of self-worth and goodness in oneself. It encompasses beliefs and emotions and greatly influences behaviour. Self-esteem is largely influenced by the relationships we have with others, the environment and culture. A conducive environment helps to build self-esteem. For example, accepting an individual, they encourage, sustain interest, setting achievable goals, understanding one's rights and that of others e