Social-emotional development

What is social-emotional development?

There is no universally accepted definition of social-emotional development. Probably because developmental tasks depend on age and ability. In the FLAME project, social-emotional development means the timely (as in: age-appropriate) development and integration of social skills and emotional skills. 

Examples of social skills are the ability to start and maintain meaningful relationships with others, self-awareness in social settings, and a healthy and adaptive way of relating to authority. Emotional skills are, for example, obtaining a genuine sense of self and one’s identity, moral judgement and moral actions, and the ability to regulate emotions. A study in a Danish football academy showed that important psychosocial skills for negotiating the transition from junior to senior level included self-awareness, goal setting, motivation, self organization, ability to work hard, and managing performance and process outcomes. Goal setting and managing performance and process outcomes were described as the most important for making the transition to professional level*. 

*Larsen, C. H., Alfermann, D., Henriksen, K., & Christensen, M. K. (2013). Successful talent development in soccer: The characteristics of the environment. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 2(3), 190.