SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS – A REQUIREMENT FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AT SCHOOL AGE

The focus of the current article is the age group of 12-14 years of age (6th-7th grade) due to the global tendency in society today where more and more families are not able to provide an adequate support in life and the schools become the only place where children could obtain the needed corrective measures to make up for their lack of emotional and social competency. The selected age group represents the most fragile period of human life span. The family and the peers are the most influential factors in the socialization process. The striving toward autonomy and the search for the real self, the interest toward what is new and different, the perception of adulthood draws teenagers closer to their peer group. That however does not replace the need for safety, trust, protection which keeps attracting them back to their families.
At the center of our research is the question is the balance between functioning in different fields of social interaction a measurement for a complete life and for a successful implementation of the process of establishment of social and emotional skills.