- What are social abilities?
- Examples of social skills
- What are social skills for?
- Importance of social skills
We explain what social skills are and examples of this set of behaviors. Also, what are they for and their importance.
What are social abilities?
Social skills or social competence is understood as the set of behaviors that he human being (and even other species from animals) manifested in community situations, that is, of social organization, and that report some type of positive environmental reinforcement (success). Put more simply: they are the set of talents conventionally valued by the society that an individual can reveal in certain situations.
This is a difficult concept, as there is no single definition of these abilities nor a scientific consensus on the matter. In fact, to a certain extent, social skills depend on the cultural context in which they are manifested, since the same characteristic can be valued differently by traditions different when driving protocols and often contradictory ideas of politeness.
Broadly speaking, social skills enable human beings to achieve their goals. objectives community, that is, manage their interpersonal relationships in a suitable way, which can have repercussions in other areas of the life. They are generally based on managing the communication and emotions.
In some cases of mental or neural pathology (such as those of the autism spectrum), the social skills of the human being are quite affected, requiring a model of learning different from the usual, since normally this type of talents develop naturally, through social exchange (and, of course, are determined by factors of personality, parenting, etc.).
Examples of social skills
Classically, social skills can be classified into:
- Basic. Hear from others, start a conversation, carry on a conversation, ask questions, say thank you, introduce yourself, introduce someone else, pay a compliment, dialogue, etc.
- Advanced. Ask for help, participate in a discussion, give instructions, follow instructions, apologize, convince others, give a respectful opinion, make a complaint, mediate between two parties, etc.
- Affective Know what you feel, express what you feel, understand the feelings of others, face the anger of others, express affection, face fear, compensate yourself, comfort the afflicted, etc.
- Alternatives to aggression. Asking permission, loving yourself, sharing something with someone, negotiating with another, helping a third party, using self-control, responding to jokes, defending one's rights, evading the conflict, etc.
- Coping with stress. Filing a complaint, responding to a complaint, showing sportsmanship, handling embarrassment, dealing with frustration, standing up for an ally, dealing with failure, dealing with pain, dealing with peer pressure, etc.
- Planning. Make decisions, collect information, know your own talents, focus on a task, prioritize needs, etc.
What are social skills for?
Social skills, according to some authors, allow human beings to perform the following functions:
- Reinforcement in social situations. They allow to deepen or modulate certain learning, or to influence others to promote or discourage behaviors.
- They guarantee collective position. A person with good social skills can seek positions of influence within a group, or negotiate in certain situations.
- They promote empathy. They are the route to the forging of affection and close relationships, which translates into self esteem and in valuation of others.
- Decrease stress in social situations. Allowing a more relaxed and fluid performance when dealing with others.
Importance of social skills
Social skills can be a crucial talent in certain situations and a valued trait in areas such as:
- Emotional health. Emotional and emotional affections self esteem they are directly linked to social performance, especially in situations of love or erotic valuation.
- Support from other areas. People with a good social apparatus tend to perform better in other areas of life, since they do not dedicate as much of their mental and emotional energy to dealing with affective or social deficiencies.
- The learning. Human beings are social creatures who learn by repetition and through contact with others. Without this experience, our individual formation becomes more difficult and it takes us a while to develop as whole and healthy individuals.
- Deal with extreme situations. Limit situations such as alcoholism, drug addiction, suicide, etc., can be overcome with the social support provided by skills in this area.