HUN 101- LIFE SKILLS

MODULE 1

Chapter-1 Overview of Life Skills

Life Skills
This involves a group of psychosocial and interpersonal skills which are interlinked with each
other. For example, decision making.
Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal
effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. Described in this way, skills that
can be said to be life skills are innumerable, and the nature and definition of life skills are likely
to differ across cultures and settings. However, analysis of the life skills field suggests that
there is a core set of skills that are at the heart of skills-based initiatives for the promotion of
the health and well-being of children and adolescents.
Psychosocial competence is a person's ability to deal effectively with the demands and
challenges of everyday life. It is a person's ability to maintain a state of mental well-being and
to demonstrate this in adaptive and positive behaviour while interacting with others, his/her
culture and environment. Psychosocial competence has an important role to play in the
promotion of health in its broadest sense; in terms of physical, mental and social wellbeing. In
particular, where health problems are related to behaviour, and where the behaviour is related
to an inability to deal effectively with stresses and pressures in life, the enhancement of
psychosocial competence could make an important contribution. This is especially important
for health promotion at a time when behaviour is more and more implicated as the source of
health problems. The most direct interventions for the promotion of psychosocial competence
are those which enhance the person's coping resources, and personal and social competencies.
In school-based programmes for children and adolescents, this can be done by the teaching of
life skills in a supportive learning environment.
The Ten core Life Skills as laid down by WHO
Life skills are behaviours that enable individuals to adapt and deal effectively with the
demands and challenges of life.
1. Self-awareness
2. Empathy
3. Critical thinking
4. Creative thinking
5. Decision making
6. Problem Solving
7. Effective communication
8. Interpersonal relationship
9. Coping with stress
10. Coping with emotion
Self-awarenessincludes recognition of ‘self’, our character, our strengths and weaknesses,
desires and dislikes. Developing self-awareness can help us to recognize when we are stressed
or feel under pressure. It is often a prerequisite to effective communication and interpersonal
relations, as well as for developing empathy with others.
Empathy - To have a successful relationship with our loved ones and society at large, we need
to understand and care about other peoples’ needs, desires and feelings. Empathy is the ability
to imagine what life is like for another person. Without empathy, our communication with
others will amount to one-way traffic. Worst, we will be acting and behaving according to our
self-interest and are bound to run into problems. No man is an island, no woman either! We
grow up in relationships with many people – parents, brothers and sisters, cousins, uncles and
aunts, classmates, friends and neighbours’. When we understand ourselves as well as others,
we are better prepared to communicate our needs and desires. We will be more equipped to say
what we want people to know, present our thoughts and ideas and tackle delicate issues without
offending other people. At the same time, we will be able to elicit support from others, and win
their understanding. Empathy can help us to accept others, who may be very different from
ourselves. This can improve social interactions, especially, in situations of ethnic or cultural
diversity.
Empathy can also help to encourage nurturing behaviour towards people in need of care and
assistance, or tolerance, as is the case with AIDS sufferers, or people with mental disorders,
who may be stigmatized and ostracized by the very people they depend upon for support.
Critical thinkingis an ability to analyse information and experiences in an objective manner.
Critical thinking can contribute to health by helping us to recognize and assess the factors that
influence attitudes and behaviour, such as values, peer pressure and the media. Critical thinking
includes three components:
i. Intellectual standards- These are standards against which we can compare the
thinking process. Eg: Accuracy, clarity, relevance fairness, significance, precision
etc. are some intellectual standards.
ii. Reasoning- The thinker should evaluate his choices to come up with the most
favourable solution
iii. Intellectual traits-intellectual standards that are expected of a critical thinker. They
include humility, intellectual courage, intellectual autonomy, perseverance,
integrity etc.

Creative thinking is the generation of new ideas and concepts with some value to individual,
society or organisation. I can be also referred to as improvement of what already exist. Itis a
novel way of seeing or doing things that is characteristic of four components – fluency
(generating new ideas), flexibility (shifting perspective easily), originality (conceiving of
something new), and elaboration (building on other ideas). Creative thinking includes three
components:
i. Synthetic intelligence: Ability to develop novel ideas
ii. Analytical ability: ability to judge the value
iii. Practical intelligence: ability to apply abstract concepts to everyday situations and put
them into practical use.
Decision makinghelps us to deal constructively with decisions about our lives. It can teach
people how to actively make decisions about their actions after assessment of different options
and, what effects these different decisions are likely to have.
Problem solving helps us to deal constructively with problems in our lives. Significant
problems that are left unresolved can cause mental stress and give rise to accompanying
physical strain.
Bransford & Stien identified IDEAL model as an effective structure to problem solving. The
steps included in IDEAL model are:
i. Identification of the problem.
ii. Definition of goals
iii. Exploration of possible strategies
iv. Anticipation of possible outcomes & actions
v. Learning through retrospection/ experience and analysis

Identification of the problem.-This involves understanding the problem, clearly

stating them and identifying what you want to achieve.
Definition of goals- Clear understanding of what the requirement is and other
parameters such as various constraints, time etc. are to be evaluated.
Exploration of possible strategies-Several strategies are considered – creative ,
possible, impossible .The merits of each one is then analysed and decision made on
the best possible strategy.
Anticipation of possible outcomes & actions-Pilot ventures, prototype testing etc.
helps to analyse the possible glitches and outcomes. Modifications and
improvements are made based on these. Inappropriate assumptions and problem can
be thus identified.
Learning through retrospection/ experience and analysis- Looking at the
implemented solution critically and learning from experience helps to progress
further. This helps in extending the strategy and improving the efficiency of work.
Interpersonal relationshipskills help us to relate in positive ways with the people we interact
with. This may mean being able to make and keep friendly relationships, which can be of great
importance to our mental and social well-being. It may mean keeping, good relations with
family members, which are an important source of social support. It may also mean being able
to end relationships constructively. This requires good communication skills, empathy, self-
awareness etc.
Effective communication means that we are able to express ourselves, both verbally and non-
verbally, in ways that are appropriate to our cultures and situations. This means being able to
express opinions and desires, and also needs and fears. And it may mean being able to ask for
advice and help in a time of need. A communication to be effective it must be two way. There
must be effective feedback.
Coping with stress-Stress has been characterized as a physiological demand placed on the
body when one must adapt, cope or adjust with situations. Coping with stress means
recognizing the sources of stress in our lives, recognizing how this affects us, and acting in
ways that help us control our levels of stress, by changing our environment or lifestyle and
learning how to relax.
95% of all the diseases are created by stress. Wrong beliefs like “I’m not good enough” or
"Something is wrong with me" cause up to 95% of all illness and disease. The membrane of
the cell is the brain of the cell, not the nucleus. Our beliefs are stored in the membrane of our
cells. Unless we are fully aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it at every moment,
we are always acting on our unconscious programming stored as beliefs in our cells. Scientific
research has established that stress is the core factor in physical, mental, and emotional disease.
Discovering how unconscious physical, mental and emotional habits create stress, aging,
addiction and disease, through awareness and simple lifestyle changes reclaiming youthful
vitality, joy and well-being.
There are many ways of coping with stress. Their effectiveness depends on the type of stressor,
the particular individual, and the circumstances. Three methods of coping with stress are:
i. Appraisal-focusedstrategies occur when the person modifies the way they think,
for example: denial, or distancing oneself from the problem. People may alter the
way they think about a problem by altering their goals and values, such as by seeing
the humour in a situation.
ii. Problem-focusedstrategies try to deal with the cause of their problem. They
include- taking control, information seeking, and evaluating the pros and cons,
Time-management etc.
iii. Emotion-focusedcoping is oriented toward managing the emotions that accompany
the perception of stress. They include- releasing pent-up emotions, distracting one
self, managing hostile feeling, meditating, using systematic relaxation procedures.
The unhealthy ways of coping stress include: avoidance, addiction, aggression etc.

Coping with emotionsmeans involving recognizing emotions within us and others, being
aware of how emotions influence behaviour and being able to respond to emotions
appropriately. Intense emotions like anger or sadness can have negative effects on our health
if we do not respond appropriately. Our feelings are a wonderful barometer of our well-being.
When we are not caught up in negative thinking, our feelings remain positive, and we feel
joyful, loving and peaceful. When we are feeling fearful, angry, or depressed it is a sure sign
that our thoughts have become negative and dysfunctional. Developing this awareness and
making the decision to eliminate negative thinking can be dramatically life changing. Alter
your own brain chemistry with thoughts of appreciation, gratitude, joy and love.

Chapter 2- Life Skill for Professionals

These are vitally important skills that are required to ensure your professional success. Some
essential life skills that is required to secure achievements in your career are:
Positive thinking and Right AttitudeIt is the idea that you can change your life by thinking
positively about things. Research shows that positive thinking really does have a scientific
basis. You can’t change the world, but you can change how you perceive it and how you react
to it. And that can change the way that you feel about yourself and others, which can in turn
have a huge effect on your wellbeing. Positive thinking is a mental attitude in which you expect
good and favourable results. In other words, positive thinking is the process of creating
thoughts that create and transform energy into reality. A positive mind waits for happiness,
health and a happy ending in any situation.
Developing Habits of Positive Thinking
1. Meditation People who meditate every day show more positive thinking than those who
do not. People who meditate tend to show more mindfulness, or ability to live in the
present, which is also associated with positive thinking.
2. Writing -Write a blog focusing on positive experiences, or keep a diary.
3. Recreation- It’s important to make time for yourself to have fun. Sometimes you might
need to actually put it into your diary to force yourself to make that time, whether it’s to
meet a friend for coffee, or go out for a walk or a bike ride.
How you apply positive thinking
Changing everything you’ve learned in a life is not easy, imposing a positive thinking
starting today thinking that that this will attract positive things in your life is not that
simple. To change these negative patterns I recommend these exercises and practices. For
me and the people I have chosen in my life works!
1. Use positive words when talking. If you constantly say “I cannot” you could convince
yourself that it’s true. Replace negative words with positive ones. Tell yourself that you do
everything possible to have a happy relationship, tell yourself that you do everything
possible to have a brilliant career, tell yourself that you do everything possible to keep you
in shape.
2. Remove all the feelings that are not positive Do not let negative thoughts and feelings
conquer when you have a bad mood. Even if for a few hours a day, remove negativity and
focus on the positive things in your life.
3. Use words that evoke strength and success. Fill your thoughts with words that make
you feel strong, happy, having control over your life. Make an effort to focus on these
words rather than the ones that suggest failure or incompetence.
4. Practice positive affirmations. One of the most common exercises for a positive
thinking is positive affirmation. What does that mean? Start repeating a positive phrase
like “I deserve to be happy” or “I deserve to be loved.” Believing that these statements are
true and repeating them always will impose a more positive opinion about your life.
5. Redirect your thoughtsThis method used by psychotherapists helps you control your
thoughts when you start to feel negative emotions like depression or anxiety. How can you
do that? When you feel such emotion taking hold on you start generating a happy mind, a
positive image, something that makes you feel better to keep your negative feelings under
control.
6. Start thinking you will succeedNothing compares with self confidence that creates a
successful reality. Put your doubts aside and believe that you will succeed in meeting the
objectives.
 7. Analyze what went wrong. Positive thinking is not about denying that nothing can go
wrong. Instead take the time to see what went wrong and what led to the current situation
in order to avoid future mistakes and look forward more positive.
8. Forgive you Always arguing for things that went wrong will not change anything. Tell
yourself you are forgiven and allow you to move on.
9. Think of a failureas an opportunity. Sometimes the most negative things in our lives
give us opportunities that we may not have seen otherwise. For example losing your job
can be a good opportunity to open your own business or go back to school!
10. Working at your imagination / visualization. Visualizing what you want to achieve
or the person you want to be can be a great motivation to take you there and make you
think more positively about the distance that you have until the destination.

Our attitude is what influences all our actions. It is only the right attitude, which gets us good
results. All the smiles and hand-shakes are not going to get you far, if you do not have the
attitude to help others, without any selfish expectations in return. If you expect something in
return, then it is not help, it is only a favour, and you are only interested in your own selfish
desires. It has been said that Opportunity ‘knocks’ at every door. If we utilise it, it leads to
success. Otherwise, we just complain about the ‘noise’. Every problem that we face is nothing
but an opportunity, to success, by learning how to conquer it. The better we get at problem
solving, the more successful we are.
To a ‘positive’ person, a problem is not only a temporary set-back, but also a stepping stone to
success. To a ‘negative’ thinker, every problem only confirms his pessimistic view, that
whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. So every problem becomes a stumbling block, with the
inevitable result, that he/she soon stops progressing. Human nature has inertia, i.e. it resists any
change. We like to keep within our ‘comfort zone’, even to the extent of not trying to change
a bad habit that we are only too well aware of. However, should one desire to improve, there
is no stopping you, on your path to success.
Attention to detailis the ability to achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing a
task and many employers seek this skill. Create a checklist to ensure your work is completed
on time, checking and rechecking before final submission of the final work etc are some ways
to ensure your attention to smallest detail.
Having the big Picture– It signifies having a proper vision and motivating the others and
guiding them towards it.
Learning Skills
Learning is acquiring new or modifying the existing knowledge, behaviour, skills concept or
thought. Some important learning skill includes:
i. Critical and creative thinking
ii. Time management
iii. Effective communication
iv. Lifelong Learning
v. Analytical skill
vi. Logical thinking and reasoning
Research Skillare the ability to search for, find, collect, analyse, interpret and evaluate
information that is relevant to the subject being studied. Keeping updated on the recent
technology, upgrading your knowledge base, note taking, etc are some research skills.
Perseverance is the ability to keep doing something in spite of obstacles. People who persevere
show steadfastness in doing something despite how hard it is or how long it takes to reach the
goal. Experiencing from failure, learning from your mistakes, self-confidence, and positive
attitude is required to overcome the obstacles.
Setting goals and achieving them- It is important to set goals before you venture forth with
your ideas or work. While setting goals it is important to set achievable goals so as to avoid
disappointment and unpleasant circumstances. The goals must be prioritized based on the
parameters you are given to complete the task, like the ability, time etc. Set specific and realistic
goals, prioritize them based on its importance, keep measurable goals, create schedules,
anticipate the possible obstacles and persevere.
Leadership is the ability to lead or guide people towards the accomplishment of common
goals. Effective Leadership involves:
i. Having a vision
ii. Ability to see the big picture
iii. Inspiring the others to realize the vision.
iv. Coordinating and guiding
v. Democratic
vi. Open mindedness towards others
vii. Problem solving and decision taking
viii. Perseverance

All bosses are not leaders. A true leader leads people with their charisma and by
being an inspiration. A boss is valued based on his position. He may or may not be
a good leader.
Motivation
Motivation is essential to stimulate people to achieve their goals.
Intrinsic Motivation- Motivation that arises within oneself is called intrinsic motivation. We
engage in a particular behaviour because we enjoy it and derive satisfaction in it. There are no
external rewards or punishments. Desire to be accepted, desire to enjoy power and desire for
knowledge is certain intrinsic factors of intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic Motivation- Motivation that arises from external factors such as promise of a reward
or fear of punishment is called extrinsic motivation. Some such factors include money,
promotion, bonus, fear of punishment, deadlines and so on.

Personality Development
Personality development is the development of the organized pattern of behaviours and
attitudes that makes a person distinctive.
Key elements of personality are:
i. Behaviour: A stereotyped response to an internal or external stimulus.
ii. Character: An individual’s set of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns
learned and accumulated over time.
iii. Cognition: The act or process of knowing or perceiving.
iv. Cognitive: The ability to think, learn, and memorize.
v. Gene: A building block of inheritance, which contains the instructions for the
production of a particular protein, and is made up of a molecular sequence found
on a section of DNA.
vi. Identity: The condition of being the same with, or possessing, a character that is
well described, asserted, or defined.
vii. Maturity: A state of full development or completed growth.
viii. Socialization: The process by which new members of a social group are integrated
in the group.
ix. Temperament: A person’s natural disposition or inborn combination of mental and
emotional traits.
Developments of these key elements of personality are essential for individual growth.
Personality development helps in:
1. Building strong personal and team relationships.
2. Dictating the success rate of one’s career.
3. Tracing out the flaws and to improve the personal and technical skills.
4. Maintaining the patience level even in adverse conditions.
5. Enhancing smartness, intelligence and grasps level of a person.

IQ, EQ, SQ
IQ- Intelligence quotient was formulated by psychologists like Alfred Binet and
conceptualised by William Stern. This includes analytical skills, logical reasoning, ability to
store and retrieve information, comprehension, interpretation and analysis of data, verbal
abilities etc. This was considered the key determinant factor while selecting an employee.
However they were replaced later by EQ and SQ.
EQ- Emotional Intelligence was conceptualized by psychologists like Michael Beldoch and
later popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman. It includes some key competencies viz. self-
awareness which includes emotional awareness, self-assessment & self-confidence; self-
motivation which includes drive, commitment, initiative & optimism; self-regulation which
includes self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability & innovativeness.
SQ- Postulated by psychologist Edward Thorndike, it was later reinvented by psychologists
like Howard Gardner and Daniel Goleman. Gardner proposed that there are multiple
intelligences, out of which he talked about two important ones intrapersonal
intelligence and interpersonal intelligence. According to him, interpersonal intelligence
includes sensitivity towards others’ moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations; and
ability to cooperate as part of a group. It includes social awareness which emphasizes on
empathy, service orientation, developing others, leveraging diversity, and political awareness;
and social skills which include influence, communication, leadership, change management,
conflict management and cooperation.
Daniel Goleman later compiled both EQ and IQ and coined a new term called Emotional and
Social Intelligence ( ESI).