Analysis Characteristics of a Socially Competent Adolescent

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Different people develop differently socially. There are those with a shyer disposition and others with a very sociable personality. The purpose of this paper is to analyze characteristics of a socially competent adolescent and how some of those characteristics emerge in preschool age children.
Summary of Social Competence
Emotional Regulation. Emotional self-regulation is how well an individual manages and internalizes their emotions. This is a characteristic of a socially competent adolescent because in our society there are certain emotional display rules, or standards on “when, where, and how it is appropriate to express emotions” (Berk, 2013, p. 412). An example of this would be an individual keeping their temper and reacting calmly when they find out their friend broke their bike. It takes a certain level of self-control to maintain emotional regulation, and that is a skill that socially competent people possess.
Perspective Taking. Perspective taking is the ability to infer what others may be feeling and to recognize a difference between their views (Berk, year, page #). A socially competent adolescent possess a strong sense of their inner self and can see the perspective of others becoming more aware of the feelings and viewpoints in others. An example of this would be an adolescent listening to a peer’s idea for a school project and, although it may be different from the adolescent’s idea, they consider their peer’s idea and possibly even use it. When an individual is socially competent at perspective taking, they are able to see that outside of their own sphere of thought and contemplate other’s ideas, opening their mind to all the possibilities.
Achievement Motivation. Achievement motivation is when an individual h...

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...thon and Ariana (see Appendix). In reference to Piaget’s preoperational stage, perspective taking is difficult for young children because they tend to be egocentric (Berk, 2013, p.244). As Dr. Nelson described social problem solving, he explains that socially incompetent children will not be able to recognize and interpret social cues (Nelson, Fall 2013). These skills can be learned, but it can take some time for children to gain those skills. A realistic expectation for parents to have is that their children should be competent in complying with the rules and expectations of the classroom, household, and other public places. Jadie and Ariana are in the preschool and they both displayed a high level of social competence in compliance. Children are also beginning to develop, though they may not be socially competent in, delay of gratification and prosocial behavior.

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