Life Skills

Introduction

Tools at our hands that help us prevent, improve, and manage mind and behavior for effective
psychological functioning. These tools are what we call life skills‘. Life skills are very
important tools of success if you really give attention to develop them. This assignment
specifically focuses on conception, components, features, goals, Importance of life skills. It
has six major sections. The first section addresses definition and notion of like skills. The
second one presents components of life skills. The third section is about features of life skills,
the fourth section is about goals of life skills. The final section is about importance of life skills
and summery.

8.1 Nature and Definition of Life skills

Definition of Skill(s)
 is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a
given amount of time, energy, or both
 is an individual’s ability to perform a specific tasks or solve problem at a high level of
proficiency.
 the ability to do something that comes from training, experience or practice.
Life skills (a life coping skills)

 are the abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday.
 Life skills are essentially those abilities that help to promote mental well-being and
competence in young people as they face the realities of life.
 Are abilities that facilitate the physical, mental and emotional well-being of an
individual (WHO)
 Are/is an ability that makes a difference in everyday living.
 Is a competency which enables a person to live in an independent society.
 are an acquired ability, practiced and mastered to overcome the day-to-day challenges of
life.
 are a generic skills and abilities which ensures the mental well-being of individuals,
8.2 Components of Life Skills
 to be effective in life, one has to develop skills of expressing views, challenging
stereotypes, making connections, thinking creatively, getting good advices, managing
time, learning how to learn, listening actively, and the like.
 UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO lists the following components/core life skills.
1. Critical thinking-
 is an ability to analyze information and experience in an objective manner.
 an ability that helps us look beyond our direct experience and address issues in a
perspective which is different from the obvious or the norm.
 thinking rationally with an open mind
 it adds novelty and flexibility to the situation of our daily life.
2. Self-awareness-
 is recognition of ourselves, of our character, of our strength and weaknesses, desires
and dislikes.
 It involves monitoring our inner worlds, thoughts, emotions, and beliefs.

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  is having a clear perception of your personality, including strengths, weaknesses,
thoughts, beliefs, motivation, and emotions.
 It is an attribute of one‘s self-concept that allows understanding other people‘s
attitudes and responses to them.
 refers to an individual's overall self-evaluation. It is the judgment or opinion we
hold about ourselves
 Has the following benefits
o it gives us the power to influence outcomes
o it helps us to become better decision-makers
o it allows us to understand things from multiple perspectives
o it frees us from different biases
o it gives us a greater ability to regulate our emotions
3. Self-confidence-
 is the degree to which one can rely on his/her ability to perform certain behavior alone
or in public.
 It is individual‘s trust in his or her own abilities, capacities, and judgments, or belief
that he or she can successfully face day-to-day challenges and demands
4. Self-esteem-
 the degree to which we perceive or see ourselves positively or negatively;
 our overall attitude toward ourselves, which can be measured explicitly or implicitly
 is a state of mind
 it is the way you think and feel about yourself; a measure of how much you value,
respect and feel confident about yourself.
 is knowing that you are important enough to take good care of yourself by making
good choices for yourself.
 Self-esteem doesn’t mean you think you are better or more important than other
people are, it means that you respect and value yourself as much as other people.
 Having self-esteem also means you don’t have to put other people down to feel good
about yourself
 Has the following Signs
Confidence - Self-direction - Non-blaming behavior
Awareness of personal strengths - Ability to accept mistakes from others
Optimism - Ability to solve problems - Good self-care
Independent and cooperative attitude - Good sense of personal limitations
Feeling comfortable with a wide range of emotions
Ability to appropriately trust others - Ability to set boundaries and say no
5. Decision-making
 is simply the process of making a choices by identifying a decision, gathering
information and assessing alternative resolutions.
 the ability to assess available options, take risks, to foresee the consequences of
different decisions.
 Processes involved in combining and integrating available information to choose,
implement and evaluate one out of several possible courses of actions.
 Decision- is a choice that you make about something after thinking about several
possibilities.

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 To make a right decision you have to follow the following steps.
a. know why you need to make a decision-identify the problem you want to solve; then
think of the way to solve it
b. Write down different ways of solving the problem. Think of possible solutions. Ask
friends, parents, and teachers and get more ideas before you make a decision.
c. Try to see the outcome of each choice. Look at the advantages and disadvantages of
each choice.
d. Choose the best alternative. You have to choose the alternative that matches your goal.
e. Put your decision into action. Do not waste time.
f. Evaluate the outcome of your decision. Was it successful?
6. Interpersonal relationships
 is the relationships a person have with others persons.
 They are social associations, connections, or affiliations between two or more people
having various levels of intimacy and sharing, and implying the discovery or
establishment of common ground
 is the power of togetherness
7. Reflective communication
 attending communications with thoughtful and due attention to reflect on one‘s own
thinking, behaviors and interaction with others
 includes verbal and non-verbal communication, active listening and the ability to
express feelings and give feed back
8. Peer pressure resistance – individual‘s abilities and skills to confront negative
influences from his/her group members.
9. Knowing rights and duties -One‘s knowledge and understanding of rights and duties of
groups, individuals, institutions and nations allowed to do or not to do by law and/or a
culture.
10. Problem solving – the process of identifying a discrepancy between an actual and desired
state of affairs, difficulties, obstacles and complex issues and then taking action to resolve
the deficiency or take advantage of the opportunity
11. Empathy
 is the ability to “put oneself into another’s shoes”
 is the ability to listen and understand other’s needs
8.3. Characteristics of life skills
 Life skills have the following characteristics:
 Life skills፡
are dynamic and continuously evolving which helps adolescents to learn their experiences
and refine their skills
Can be learnt through imitation and practical activities in the home, school, society….
can be transferred to other life situations
are developed through constructive information processing and reflection

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8.4 Goals of Life Skills
 The goal of knowing and applying life skills is:
to lead a smooth and successful life at home, work place and in social relationship.
to empower young people to take positive action to protect themselves and promote
health and positive social relationships.
to explore alternatives, weigh pros and cons and make rational decisions in solving each
problem or issue as it arises.
to establish productive interpersonal relationships with others.
enable effective communication, for example, being able to differentiate between
hearing, listening, and ensuring that messages are transmitted accurately to avoid
miscommunication and misinterpretations.
8.5 Importance of life skills
 Equips a person to be self-directing and productive, to lead a satisfying life and to
contribute to society.
 Enables a person to function effectively in a changing world.
 with life skills, one is able to:
 explore alternatives
 weigh pros and cons
 make rational decisions in solving each problem, or issue as it arises
 it also entails being able to establish productive interpersonal relationships with others
 Empower young people to take positive action to protect themselves and promote health
and positive social relationships.

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Summary

Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Life skills include critical
thinking, self-confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, decision- making, interpersonal
relationship, reflective communication, negative peer pressure resistance, knowing rights and
duties, and problem solving.

The goal of knowing and applying life skills is to lead smooth and successful life at home,
work place and in social interpersonal relationship.

Developing life skills can produce the following effects: lessened violent behavior; increased
pro-social behavior and decreased negative, self-destructive behavior; increased the ability to
plan ahead and choose effective solutions to problems; improved self-image, self-awareness,
social and emotional adjustment; increased acquisition of knowledge; improved classroom
behavior; gains in self- control and handling of interpersonal problems and coping with
anxiety; and improved constructive conflict resolution with peers, impulse control and
popularity.

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 OROMIA STATE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE
DEPARTMENT OF LAW

Group Assignment for the course Psychology

Assignment Title: Life Skills

Name ID No.
1. Mamush Kasimo…………………………………. Law/w/03034/16
2. Belachew Kasa ………………………………...Law/w/03002/16
3. Dechasa

Academic year: 2016 E.C