St.

MARY UNIVERSITY

Life skills
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal skills
Academic skills
Social skills

Bethel Legesse, Hana Masresha, Hermela Fekadu,

Yabsira Taye Metaferia and Yabtsega Behailu

Department of Marketing Management

Section: p

PsvL1011: Psychology
Mr. Manaye Adela
August 6, 2021
 Table of Contents
Life skills.........................................................................................................................................1
Nature and Definition of Life Skill..................................................................................................1
Components.................................................................................................................................1
Goals.........................................................................................................................................2
Interpersonal and Intrapersonal skills..............................................................................................3
Interpersonal skills.......................................................................................................................3
Intrapersonal skills.......................................................................................................................3
Critical and Creative Thinking.................................................................................................4
Academic skills................................................................................................................................5
Time management........................................................................................................................5
Note taking and study skills.........................................................................................................5
Test-Taking Skill..........................................................................................................................6
Test Anxiety and Overcoming Test Anxiety............................................................................6
Goal Setting..............................................................................................................................7
Social skills......................................................................................................................................8
Understanding cultural diversity..................................................................................................8
Gender and Social Inclusion........................................................................................................8
Social Influences......................................................................................................................9
Peer pressure.............................................................................................................................9
Assertiveness............................................................................................................................9
Reference.......................................................................................................................................10
 Life skills

Skills are an essential part of the capabilities required for a person to carry out their role.

Skilled activities require practice and training. Skills are frequently used in many different
contexts, including manual labor, creative pursuits, personal improvement, academic studies and
more. The skill can be learned by watching experts at work or following instruction manuals.

Nature and Definition of Life Skill

Life skills are behaviors that are used appropriately and responsibly in personal affairs
management. They are a set of human skills that can be learned or gained through direct
experience and are used to deal with problems and questions that arise in everyday life.

Life skills enable individuals to translate knowledge, attitudes and values into actual abilities.

Any skill that is useful in our life can be considered as a life skill. The term ‘Life skills’ is
usually used for any of the skills needed to deal well and effectively with the challenges of life.

Components

The most major life skills are:

Self-awareness: includes recognition of ‘self’ and understanding one's own strengths and
limitations, as well as one's own preferences and dislikes. Developing self-awareness can help us
to recognize when we are stressed or under pressure. It is often a requirement for efficient
communication and interpersonal relationships.

Critical thinking: is the ability to objectively evaluate information and experiences. We can use
critical thinking to recognize and evaluate factors that influence our attitudes and behavior.

Decision making: Decision making helps us to take appropriate decisions about our lives. It can
teach people how to actively make decisions and what effects these different decisions are likely
to have.

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Interpersonal relationships: assist us to build up a rapport with the people whom we interact
with. This includes being able to make and keep friendly relationships, maintain good relations
with family members, and also being able to end relationships constructively.

Self-confidence: is the extent to which an individual can rely on his or her ability to perform a
particular behavior alone or in public.

Self-esteem: one's subjective assessment of his or her own worth, a measure of a person's
confidence in what they can accomplish with their own abilities.

Problem solving፡ helps us to deal constructively with problems in our lives.

Effective communication: means that we can express ourselves verbally and nonverbally, in
order for our ideas to be effectively transmitted to others.

Goals
The purpose of studying life skill is to

 To create informed and responsible citizens, who are willing and able to take
responsibility for themselves and their communities.
 Find new ways of thinking and problem solving.
 Recognize the impact of our actions and teaches us to take responsibility for what we do
rather than blame others
 Build confidence both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and cooperation.
 Analyse options, make decisions and understand why we make certain choices.
 Build confidence both in spoken skills and for group collaboration and cooperation.
 options, make decisions and understand why we make certain choices outside the
classroom
 Develop a greater sense of self-awareness and appreciation for others

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 Interpersonal and Intrapersonal skills

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills are abilities that we use every day when communicating and interacting with
others, both individually and in groups. It is the behavior and tactics that a person uses in order to
effectively interact with others. And it has an impact on our daily lives because we need to
improve our communication skills in order to live with others.

We did not develop our interpersonal skills overnight; rather, they were developed through a
process by interacting with others in different situation of our life.

Interpersonal skills also influence our leadership qualities because when we lead others, we
communicate and connect with them. If we have good interpersonal skills, we can build a sense
of community and gain the support of others when we need it.

When a person becomes a good listener, it is preferred by others, and it assists communication
with others because he or she allows others to express their ideas. Alexander Solzhenitsyn
demonstrated this type of interpersonal skill when he stated, "the less you speak, the more you
will hear."

Intrapersonal skills

Intrapersonal skills are talents or abilities that an individual holds and uses to solve problems.

Our intrapersonal skill will influence how we adapt to things because adaptability refers to our
ability to cope with uncertain, new, and rapidly changing conditions in our lives. When we
encounter new situations in our lives, we will try to adapt to the new one, and this will help us
develop our intrapersonal skill.

When we observe how we manage ourselves in various situations in our lives, we can see how
our intrapersonal skills influence our behavior. Which of our actions and reactions are outward
or overt? These are the words of Sigmund Freud, who stated that our childhood intrapersonal
skills will influence our adolescent behavior. In his psychoanalysis of old school psychology
thought.

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Intrapersonal skills lead a person to:

Self-concept: refers to how someone thinks about, evaluates, or perceives themselves. Being
aware of oneself implies having a concept of oneself.

Self- awareness: plays a critical role in our understanding of ourselves and our relationships
with others and the world.

Self-esteem: is a term used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal worth.

Self-confidence: is a term used to describe a person's overall sense of self-worth or personal

worth.

Anger management: It involves being able to deal with things that irritate, annoy, and frustrate
you without being angry.

Emotional intelligence: the ability to understand and control ones self-feelings, as well as to
understand and respond appropriately to the feelings of others.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Creative Thinking and Critical Thinking are two expressions that show the difference between
them.

Creative Thinking is a way of looking at problems or situations from a new angle in order to
come up with something unique.

Critical Thinking is logical sequential process of rationalizing, analyzing, evaluating, and

interpreting information in order to make informed decisions,

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 Academic skills

Academic skills include core competencies such as academic writing, public speaking, and
referencing. It entails more complex abilities such as critical thinking and reflective practice.

Academic skills are a set of study habits, learning strategies, and time management tools that
assist students in learning and absorbing school lessons. Academic skills are frequently included
in lessons by teachers.

Time management

The process of planning and controlling how much time to spend on specific activities is known
as time management. Good time management allows an individual to accomplish more in less
time, reduces stress, and leads to career success.

Time management does not imply that you must be busy all of the time. It entails spending your
time the way you want to spend it. This may include moments of daydreaming and inactivity.
Increased relaxation, less stress, more satisfaction, and higher success are all benefits of good
time management.

Note taking and study skills

Taking notes is essential for studying, as is writing clear and organized notes. It increases the
amount of information we learn in class while decreasing the amount of time we spend studying.

Common Note Taking Methods

Outline method: is the most common type of note taking used by college students; it naturally
organizes the information in a highly structured, logical manner, forming a skeleton of the
textbook chapter or lecture subject that serves as an excellent study guide when preparing for
tests.

 Write points in an organized manner based on space indentation.

 Place major points farthest to the left.
 Indent each more specific point farther to the right.

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 Cornell method: recording main concepts & forming study questions,

 Organized and systematic for both recording and reviewing notes

 Time-efficient and requires little effort,
 Suitable for most subjects

Charting method: is an effective strategy for courses that require comparisons/contrasts of

specific dates, places, people, events, significance, and how the information relates.

 Useful for comparing similar topics

 Helpful in courses where you need to memorize facts and study the relationships between
facts
 Can be used to make an overview of a whole topic, unit or course for studying

Test-Taking Skill

Some tips to help students in taking tests:

 Attend all of your classes.

 Take detailed and well-organized lecture notes.
 Plan your study time and set study objectives.
 Make use of memory techniques such as associating difficult material with something
you already know.
 In order to gain a better understanding of the course material, ask questions.
 Make use of the college's tutoring services and student support centers. Differentiate
review time from daily assignments.
 Use SQ3R(Survey, Question, Read, Revise and Recite) study style.

Test Anxiety and Overcoming Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a negative mood state characterized by bodily symptoms of physical tension and
apprehension about a future test/exam.

It can be a subjective feeling of unease, a set of behaviors, or a physiological response

originating in the brain and manifested as increased heart rate and muscle tension as a result of
negative thoughts about taking a test.

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 Symptoms

 Physical symptoms include headaches, nausea, or diarrhea, extreme body temperature

changes, excessive sweating, shortness of breath, light-headedness or fainting, a rapid
heartbeat, and/or dry mouth.
 Emotional symptoms includes disappointment, anger, depression, uncontrollable crying
or laughing, feelings of helplessness
 Behavioral - fidgeting, pacing, substance abuse, avoidance
 Cognitive - racing thoughts, going blank, difficulty in concentrating, negative self-talk,
feelings of dread, comparing self with others, and difficulty in organizing thoughts

Steps to reduce test-anxiety

1. Pay attention to your self-talk

2. Identify thoughts that lead to feelings of anxiety
3. Challenge your „anxious‟ thinking

Goal Setting
Goal setting is a powerful process for visualizing your ideal future and motivating yourself to
make that vision a reality.

Setting goals allows you to decide where you want to go in life. You can focus your efforts more
effectively if you know exactly what you want to achieve. You'll also notice the distractions that
can easily lead you away.

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 Social skills

Any skill that allows interaction and communication with others, where social rules and relations
are created, transmitted, and changed in both verbal and nonverbal ways, is referred to as a social
skill. Lack of such skill can causes social awkwardness.

Understanding cultural diversity

Cultural diversity refers to a reality of coexistence of diverse knowledge, beliefs, morals,

customs religion, language etc. of human beings. Increasing our cultural awareness, or
understanding of other cultures, allows us to have more meaningful interactions with those
around us. We’re developing our empathy and respect for others while also celebrating our
differences and similarities. This makes us less likely to treat someone differently, just because
they are from a different culture or ethnicity than us.

Gender and Social Inclusion

Gender and social inclusion is a concept that aims to enhance everyone's access to assets and
services for a living. It promotes more inclusive policies and mindsets, as well as increasing the
voice and influence of all people, including women, the poor, and the excluded.

Gender equality and women's empowerment, as well as women's active participation in political,
economic, social, and cultural life, should be promoted. Gender perspectives must be
mainstreamed in all inclusive urban policies in order for women to fully exercise their human
rights. It also is critical to create a culture of gender inclusion throughout the organization by
implementing the following measures.

• Encourage inclusive engagement in all areas of development and cross-cutting initiatives.

• Use gender-inclusive development approaches.

• Promote good gender inclusion practices; and • Enhance resources and prosperity for all.

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 Social Influences
Social influence is the intentional or unintentional change in behavior that one person causes in
another as a result of how the changed person perceives themselves in relation to the influencer,
other people, and society in general.

When social influence is attempted, a number of different of outcomes can occur. In some cases,
the influencing source may cause attitude change, which is a shift in the target's beliefs and
attitudes toward a particular issue, person, or situation. Changes in attitudes are a fairly common
result of social influence.

Compliance happens when a person does something that has been requested of them by another.
They have the option of acting in accordance or not acting in accordance, though thoughts of
social reward and punishment may lead them to comply when they really do not want to.

Peer pressure
According to Wikipedia peer pressure is the direct influence exerted on people by their peers, or
the effect exerted on an individual who is encouraged and desires to follow their peers by
changing their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or
individual.

Assertiveness
Assertiveness is a social skill that is highly reliant on effective communication while also
respecting the thoughts and wishes of others. Assertive people communicate their wants, needs,
positions, and boundaries to others in a clear and respectful manner. There is no doubt about
where they stand on any particular issue.

Assertive behavior includes:

 Being able to admit to making a mistake

 Accepting responsibilities and delegating authority to others
 Being open to expressing one's dreams, thoughts, and feelings and encouraging others to
do the same.
 Listening to others' points of view and responding appropriately, whether or not you
agree with them.
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 Reference

What are Life Skills? | Skills You Need

https://www.britishcouncil.gr/en/life-skills/about/what-are-life-skills

www.dfat.gov.au

Bonner, J. M., & Holliday, W. G. (2006). How college science students engage in note‐taking
strategies. Journal of Research in Science Teaching: The Official Journal of the National
Association for Research in Science Teaching, 43(8), 786-818.

Bailin, S. (1987). Critical and creative thinking. Informal logic, 9(1).

Paul, R., & Elder, L. (2019). The nature and functions of critical & creative thinking. Rowman
& Littlefield.

Gender Inclusion | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(unesco.org)

Social Influence Revision Notes | Simply Psychology

Social Influence (changingminds.org)

Psychology Module.pdf

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