Self-efficacy

Self-efficacy, also referred as personal efficacy, is the extent or strength of one's

belief in one's own ability to complete tasks and reach goals. Psychologists have studied
self-efficacy from several perspectives, noting various paths in the development of
self-efficacy; the dynamics of self-efficacy, and lack thereof, in many different settings;
interactions between self-efficacy and self-concept; and habits of attribution that contribute
to, or distract from, self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy affects every area of human endeavour. By determining the beliefs a

person holds regarding his or her power to affect situations, it strongly influences both the
power a person actually has to face challenges competently and the choices a person is most
likely to make. These effects are particularly apparent, and compelling, with regard to
behaviours affecting health.

4 ways to develop self-efficacy beliefs

● Performance accomplishments: The experience of mastery influences

your perspective on your abilities. Successful experiences lead to greater feelings of
self-efficacy. However, failing to deal with a task or challenge can also undermine and
weaken self-efficacy
● Vicarious experience: Observing someone else perform a task or handle a situation
can help you to perform the same task by imitation, and if you succeed in performing
a task, you are likely to think that you will succeed as well, if the task is not too
difficult. Observing people who are similar to yourself succeed will increase your
beliefs that you can master a similar activity
● Verbal persuasion: When other people encourage and convince you to perform a
task, you tend to believe that you are more capable of performing the task.
Constructive feedback is important in maintaining a sense of efficacy as it may help
overcome self-doubt
 ● Physiological states: Moods, emotions, physical reactions, and stress levels may
influence how you feel about your personal abilities. If you are extremely nervous,
you may begin to doubt and develop a weak sense of self-efficacy. If you are
confident and feel no anxiety or nervousness at all, you may experience a sense of
excitement that fosters a great sense of self-efficacy. It is the way people interpret and
evaluate emotional states that is important for how they develop self-efficacy beliefs.
For this reason, being able to diminish or control anxiety may have positive impact on
self-efficacy beliefs.

Self-confidence

The concept self-confidence as commonly used is self-assurance in one's personal

judgment, ability, power, etc. One increases self-confidence from experiences of having
mastered particular activities. It is a positive belief that in the future one can generally
accomplish what one wishes to do. Self-confidence is not the same as self-esteem, which is
an evaluation of one’s own worth, whereas self-confidence is more specifically trust in one’s
ability to achieve some goal, which one meta-analysis suggested is similar to generalization
of self-efficacy. Abraham Maslow and many others after him have emphasized the need to
distinguish between self-confidence as a generalized personality characteristic, and
self-confidence with respect to a specific task, ability or challenge (i.e. self-efficacy).
Self-confidence typically refers to general self-confidence. This is different from
self-efficacy, which psychologist Albert Bandura has defined as a “belief in one’s ability to
succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task and therefore is the term that more
accurately refers to specific self-confidence. Psychologists have long noted that a person can
possess self-confidence that he or she can complete a specific task (self-efficacy) (e.g. cook a
good meal or write a good novel) even though they may lack general self-confidence, or
conversely be self-confident though they lack the self-efficacy to achieve a particular task
(e.g. write a novel) . These two types of self-confidence are, however, correlated with each
other, and for this reason can be easily conflated.
 Self-Concept
A person's self-concept is his knowledge about himself. It is their “identity” which
develops throughout the years. It (also called self-construction, self-identity or
self-perspective) is a multi-dimensional construct that refers to an individual's perception of
"self". For example, people have separate beliefs about physical, emotional, social, etc.
aspects of themselves. It is an internal model which comprises self-assessments. A person's
self-concept may change with time as reassessment occurs, which in extreme cases can lead
to identity crises. Some people have much stronger self-concepts than others, probably
because possessing a self-concept in much detail requires reflection on one's own self and
behavior. It is not restricted to the present. It includes past selves and future selves.

The psychologists who paved the way for this concept were Carl Rogers and
Abraham Maslow. According to Rogers, everyone strives to become more like an “ideal
self.” The closer one is to their ideal self, the happier one will be.

Self-concept includes three components:

● Self-worth (or self-esteem) – what we think about ourselves.

● Self-image – How we see ourselves, which is important to good psychological health.
● Ideal self – This is the person who we would like to be.

Self-concept is a mixture of cognitive perceptions and attitudes that people have about
themselves. It is multidimensional and every one of its dimensions explains different roles.

The self-concept is formed on various levels:

● Cognitive level
● Emotional level
● Behavioural level
What is your self-concept?

It is the understanding and knowledge you have of your own existence and how you see
yourself in relation to others and to your surroundings. In order to possess a positive or
healthy self-concept you must:

● Know yourself
● Love yourself
● Be True to yourself

Today we live in an increasingly complex and multifaceted world. In order to meet the
challenges we now face, it is more important than ever to build a solid personal foundation-a
foundation consisting of self-knowledge, self-love and self-confidence.

To be sure, a healthy self-concept is more than having high self-esteem. While high
self-esteem is important, the term itself can be misleading since self-esteem is largely based
on your 'feelings' of self-worth and encompasses your 'beliefs' about being valuable and
capable. It consists of your self-image, either positive or negative, at an emotional level.

When based on emotion, self-esteem can be wavering and vulnerable to threats. Likewise, if
it's obtained mostly from external factors, such as an attractive physical appearance, or being
popular, you can feel on top of the world one day, and find yourself disillusioned or
disappointed on the next.

Therefore, a healthy self-concept must derive from within. Instead of being dependent upon
validation from external sources, or the wavering opinions of others, self-esteem must result
from self-reflection, self-analysis and self-acceptance.

What constitutes a healthy self-concept?

● The ability to know yourself; to be able to assess your strengths, weaknesses, talents
and potential.
● The ability to be honest with yourself and be true to who you are and what you value.
● The ability to take responsibility for your choices and actions.
● The ability to love and accept yourself as you are, knowing that you can improve and
develop any aspects of yourself that you choose.
Developing a healthy self-concept takes deliberate planning and concentrated effort. It takes
acknowledging your intrinsic value as a human being, and then working to acquire the skills
needed to confront the many challenges and adversities we encounter in life.

When you posses a healthy self-concept, nothing can rattle you, or take you off your stride.
You are confident, poised, and assured because you know you are equipped to handle
whatever comes your way.

Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is your general attitude toward yourself. It refers to general feelings of
self-worth or self-value. It is mostly measured on a scale from positive to negative and is
based on whether you think you are successful, a good person, smart, and so on. It can vary
depending on the situation. It is a particular way of experiencing the self. It involves
emotional, evaluative, and cognitive components. It also entails certain action dispositions: to
move toward life rather than away from it; to move toward consciousness rather than away
from it; to treat facts with respect rather than denial; to operate self-responsibly rather than
the opposite.

Self-esteem is the disposition to experience oneself as being competent to cope with

the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness. It is also the experience that
success, achievement, fulfillment, happiness etc. are right and natural for us. It is not an
illusion or hallucination. If it is not grounded in reality, if it is not built over time through the
appropriate operation of mind, it is not self-esteem. Many people have self-esteem problems
at one time or another in their lives. Some of these self-esteem issues occur only in certain
situations and resolve themselves shortly after the events in the person's life ends.

The Pillars of Self-Esteem

1. The practice of living consciously: respect for facts; seeking to understand not only the
world external to self but also our inner world.

2. The practice of self-acceptance: the willingness to own, experience, and take responsibility
for our thoughts, feelings, and actions, without denial.
3. The practice of self-responsibility: realizing that we are the author of our choices and
actions

4. The practice of self-assertiveness: being authentic in our dealings with others; the
willingness to stand up for ourselves and our ideas.

5. The practice of living purposefully: identifying our short-term and long-term goals or
purposes and the actions needed to attain them.

6. The practice of personal integrity: living with congruence between what we know, what we
profess, and what we do; telling the truth, honouring our commitments.

What all these practices have in common is respect for reality. When we seek to align
ourselves with reality as best we understand it, we nurture and support our self-esteem. When
either out of fear or desire, we seek escape from reality, we undermine our self-esteem.

Healthy self-esteem

Healthy self-esteem means liking yourself for the most part, as you are.

How to maintain healthy self esteem

Forgive yourself for your mistakes. We are so used to negative feedback that we are
more aware of our weaknesses. Set achievable targets and get regular feedback. Change the
way you talk to yourself - stop putting yourself down. Be sure that you are not judging
yourself against unreasonable standards. Beating yourself for your weaknesses is
self-defeating. Healthy self esteem is vital for happiness. The key to healthy self esteem is
becoming aware of our personal strengths and accepting ourselves as worthy persons despite
any real weaknesses we have. It is a matter of cultivating the right attitude, regardless of our
personal circumstances

Talking to other people helps us see that we are not the only ones with problems. Stop
letting our negative points overwhelm our good ones and poisoning our self-image. Helping
others and being a good listener are good ways to develop a sense of being good at something
and a greater sense of self worth. Being busy gets us out of ourselves, especially if what we
are doing gives us a sense of achievement. The truth is that the most attractive trait is to show
interest in and be nice to others.

The following tips can help everyone who has severe or low levels of self issues.

❖ Avoid Issues
❖ Avoid Negative Behaviour
❖ Don't Become a Past Dweller
❖ Pessimistic Outlook

Ways to enhance self-esteem

● Celebrate your strengths and achievements by regularly reviewing what went well instead
of thinking only about problems or setbacks.
● Change negative thoughts about yourself to positive ones.
● To build self esteem, it is essential to recognize our strengths and good traits.
● Spend more time doing useful things and less time sitting around thinking about
ourselves.
● Listening and being nice to others is one of the easiest things to change about ourselves,
and it is one of the best ways of starting to feel better about ourselves.
● Take good care of yourself.

Key Difference between Self-Concept and Self-Esteem

The key difference between self-concept and self-esteem is that the addition of
feelings. Self-concept is simply the informational side of things, where you know facts about
what you are like. Self-esteem is how you feel about those things you know, like whether you
enjoy the fact that you are talkative at parties (high self-esteem) or you think that you are
annoying and need to learn to shut up sometimes (low self-esteem). There are a variety of
self-esteem effects that can come from the self-concept.

Self-esteem combines the degree to which we feel capable with the degree to which
we feel loved. It colors our perceptions of our accomplishments and failures. Self-concept is a
component of self-esteem. It is our description of ourselves, and it changes as we grow. Good
self-esteem requires a positive self-concept. Self-esteem is based on how positive we feel
about the picture we have of ourselves. It is partly a result of the feedback we get from others.
Based on this feedback, we develop a perception of whether the traits we have are valued or
not.
 Carl Rogers' humanistic personality theory
Key Points

o Carl Rogers was an influential humanistic psychologist who developed a personality

theory that emphasized the importance of the self-actualizing tendency in shaping
human personalities.
o Rogers believed that humans are constantly reacting to stimuli with their subjective
reality (phenomenal field), which changes continuously. Over time, a person
develops a self-concept based on the feedback from this field of reality.
o In the development of self-concept, positive regard is key. Unconditional positive
regard is an environment that is free of preconceived notions of value. Conditional
positive regard is full of conditions of worth that must be achieved to be considered
successful.
o Human beings develop an ideal self and a real self based on the conditional status of
positive regard. How closely one's real self matches up with their ideal self is called
congruity.
o Rogers believed that fully functioning people could achieve "the good life," in which
they constantly aim to fulfill their potential and allow their personalities to emanate
from their experiences.
o Like Maslow's theories, Rogers' were criticized for their lack of empirical evidence in
research.

Terms

● congruity

An instance or point of agreement or correspondence between the ideal self and the
real self in Rogers' humanistic personality theory.

● phenomenal field

Our subjective reality, all that we are aware of, including objects and people as well as
our behaviors, thoughts, images, and ideas.

● humanistic psychology
 A psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century in
response to psychoanalytic theory and behaviorism; this approach emphasizes an
individual's inherent drive towards self-actualization and creativity.

● holistic

Relating to the whole instead of a separation into parts.

Carl Rogers was a prominent psychologist and one of the founding members of the
humanist movement. Along with Abraham Maslow, he focused on the growth potential of
healthy individuals and greatly contributed to our understanding of the self and personality.
Both Rogers’ and Maslow’s theories focus on individual choices and do not hold that biology
is deterministic. They emphasized free will and self-determination, with each individual
desiring to become the best person they can become.

Humanistic psychology emphasized the active role of the individual in shaping their
internal and external worlds. Rogers advanced the field by stressing that the human person is
an active, creative, experiencing being who lives in the present and subjectively responds to
current perceptions, relationships, and encounters. He coined the term actualizing tendency,
which refers to a person's basic instinct to succeed at his or her highest possible capacity.
Through person-centered counseling and scientific therapy research, Rogers formed his
theory of personality development, which highlighted free will and the great reservoir of
human potential for goodness.

Personality Development and the Self-Concept

Rogers based his theories of personality development on humanistic psychology and

theories of subjective experience. He believed that everyone exists in a constantly changing
world of experiences that they are at the center of. A person reacts to changes in their
phenomenal field, which includes external objects and people as well as internal thoughts and
emotions.
The phenomenal field
The phenomenal field refers to a person's subjective reality, which includes external objects
and people as well as internal thoughts and emotions. The person's motivations and
environments both act on their phenomenal field.

Rogers believed that all behavior is motivated by self-actualizing tendencies, which

drive a person to achieve at their highest level. As a result of their interactions with the
environment and others, an individual forms a structure of the self or self-concept—an
organized, fluid, conceptual pattern of concepts and values related to the self. If a person has
a positive self-concept, they tend to feel good about who they are and often see the world as a
safe and positive place. If they have a negative self-concept, they may feel unhappy with who
they are. 

Ideal Self vs. Real Self

Rogers further divided the self into two categories: the ideal self and the real self. The ideal
self is the person that you would like to be; the real self is the person you actually are. Rogers
focused on the idea that we need to achieve consistency between these two selves. We
experience congruence when our thoughts about our real self and ideal self are very
similar—in other words, when our self-concept is accurate. High congruence leads to a
greater sense of self-worth and a healthy, productive life. Conversely, when there is a great
discrepancy between our ideal and actual selves, we experience a state Rogers called
incongruence, which can lead to maladjustment.

Unconditional Positive Regard

In the development of the self-concept, Rogers elevated the importance of unconditional

positive regard, or unconditional love. People raised in an environment of unconditional
positive regard, in which no preconceived conditions of worth are present, have the
opportunity to fully actualize. When people are raised in an environment of conditional
positive regard, in which worth and love are only given under certain conditions, they must
match or achieve those conditions in order to receive the love or positive regard they yearn
for. Their ideal self is thereby determined by others based on these conditions, and they are
forced to develop outside of their own true actualizing tendency; this contributes to
incongruence and a greater gap between the real self and the ideal self. 

"The Good Life"

Rogers described life in terms of principles rather than stages of development. These
principles exist in fluid processes rather than static states. He claimed that a fully functioning
person would continually aim to fulfill his or her potential in each of these processes,
achieving what he called "the good life." These people would allow personality and
self-concept to emanate from experience. He found that fully functioning individuals had
several traits or tendencies in common:

1. A growing openness to experience–they move away from defensiveness.

2. An increasingly existential lifestyle–living each moment fully, rather than distorting
the moment to fit personality or self-concept.
3. Increasing organismic trust–they trust their own judgment and their ability to choose
behavior that is appropriate for each moment. 
4. Freedom of choice–they are not restricted by incongruence and are able to make a
wide range of choices more fluently. They believe that they play a role in determining
their own behavior and so feel responsible for their own behavior.
5. Higher levels of creativity–they will be more creative in the way they adapt to their
own circumstances without feeling a need to conform.
 6. Reliability and constructiveness–they can be trusted to act constructively. Even
aggressive needs will be matched and balanced by intrinsic goodness in congruent
individuals.
7. A rich full life–they will experience joy and pain, love and heartbreak, fear and
courage more intensely.

Ecopsychology

Ecopsychology studies the relationship between human beings and the natural
world through ecological and psychological principles.The field seeks to develop and
understand ways of expanding the emotional connection between individuals and the
natural world, thereby assisting individuals with developing sustainable lifestyles and
remedying alienation from nature. Theodore Roszak is credited with coining the term
in his 1992 book, The Voice of the Earth. He later expanded the idea in the 1995
anthology Ecopsychology with co-editors Mary Gomes and Allen Kanner. Two other
books were especially formative for the field, Paul Shepard's 1982 volume, "Nature
and Madness," which explored the effect that our ever-diminishing engagement with
wild nature had upon human psychological development, and philosopher David
Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human
World, published in 1996. The latter was the first widely read book to bring
phenomenology to bear on ecological and ecopsychological issues, examining in
detail the earthly dimensions of sensory experience, and disclosing the historical effect
of formal writing systems upon the human experience of nature's agency, voice, and
interiority.

A central premise of ecopsychology is that while today the human mind is

affected and shaped by the modern social world, its deep structure is inevitably
adapted to, and informed by, the more-than-human natural environment in which it
evolved. According to the biophilia hypothesis of biologist E.O. Wilson, human
beings have an innate instinct to connect emotionally with nature, particularly the
aspects of nature that recall what evolutionary psychologists have termed the
environment of evolutionary adaptiveness, the natural conditions that the human
species evolved to inhabit.

The field of ecopsychology extends beyond the conventional purview of

psychology, which had traditionally considered the psyche to be a matter of relevance
to humans alone. Ecopsychology examines why people continue environmentally
damaging behaviour, and to develop methods of positive motivation for adopting
sustainable practices. Evidence suggests that many environmentally damaging
behaviours are addictive at some level, and thus are more effectively addressed
through positive emotional fulfillment rather than by inflicting shame. Other names
used to refer to ecopsychology include depth ecology, Gaia psychology,
psychoecology, ecotherapy, environmental psychology, green psychology,
transpersonal ecology, global therapy, green therapy, Earth-centered therapy,
reearthing, nature-based psychotherapy, shamanic counselling, ecosophy and sylvan
therapy.

Practical benefits

Certain researchers propose that an individual's connection to nature can

improve their interpersonal relationships and emotional wellbeing. An integral part of
this practice is to remove psychotherapy, and the individual, from the interior of office
buildings and homes and place them outdoors. According to the precepts of
ecopsychology, a walk in the woods or a city park is refreshing because it is what
humans evolved to do. Psychologists such as Roger Ulrich, Rachel and Stephen
Kaplan, Frances Kuo and others have studied the beneficial effects of inhabiting
natural settings and of looking at pictures of landscapes on the human psyche. Richard
Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
discusses in detail how the exposure of children to nature can assist in treating mental
disorders, including attention deficit disorder.
 Another premise of ecopsychology is that steps taken to accept and notice
nature can sharpen the senses and help people cultivate new skills. For example, the
ability to track and navigate through a wilderness is improved if nature is noticed and
accepted rather than feared. Similarly, ecopsychology proposes that sailors who
appreciate the sea gain a keen sense for breeze directions.

Reasons to embrace nature

Ecopsychology explores how to develop emotional bonds with nature. It

considers this to be worthwhile because when nature is explored and viewed without
judgement, it gives the sensations of harmony, balance, timelessness and stability.
Ecopsychology largely rejects reductionist views of nature that focus upon
rudimentary building blocks such as genes, and that describe nature as selfish and a
struggle to survive. Ecopsychology considers that there has been insufficient scientific
description and exploration of nature, in terms of wildness, parsimony, spirituality and
emotional ties. For example, parsimony is the best way to produce an evolutionary
tree of the species (cladistics), suggesting that parsimonious adaptations are selected.
Yet today, the brain is often seen as complicated and governed by inherited mind
modules, rather than being a simple organ that looks for parsimony within the
influences of its surroundings, resulting in the compaction in minds of a great
diversity of concepts.

Cultures that embrace nature

In its exploration of how to bond with nature, ecopsychology is interested in

the examples provided by a wide variety of ancient and modern cultures that have
histories of embracing nature. Examples include aboriginal, pagan, Buddhist, and
Hindu cultures, as well as shamanism and the more recent hesychast tradition. Of
interest is how identity becomes entwined with nature, so that loss of those sacred
places is far more devastating to indigenous people than often understood. Native
American stories, in particular, illustrate a socially recognized sense of community
between humans and the natural landscape. The Māori philosophy, and practice of
kaitiakitanga, or eco-guardianship, and preservation emphasizes a deep connect
between humans, and their environment. Eastern Orthodox monks led a
contemplative life deeply intertwined with nature. Other lessons include how to live
sustainably within an environment and the self-sacrifices made to tolerate natural
limits, such as population control or a nomadic existence that allows the environment
to regenerate. Moreover, certain indigenous cultures have developed methods of
psychotherapy involving the presence of trees, rivers, and astronomical bodies.

Pain and delusions without nature

Ecopsychologists have begun detecting unspoken grief within individuals, an

escalation of pain and despair, felt in response to widespread environmental
destruction. The field of ecopsychology intends to illustrate how environmental
disconnection functions as an aspect of existing pathologies, without creating a new
category. The contention is that if a culture is disconnected from nature, then various
aspects of an individual's life will be negatively impacted. It also believes that without
the influence of nature, humans are prone to a variety of delusions, and that to some
degree life in the wild forms the basis for human sanity and optimal psychological
development. The topic is explored in detail Paul Shepard's book Nature and
Madness. It is also proposed that separation from outdoor contact causes a loss of
sensory and information-processing ability that was developed over the course of
human evolution, which was spent in direct reciprocity with the environment.
 Carl Roger’s self-theory

∙        American psychologist
∙        Theory of personality: Self-theory –(1947)
∙        He stressed the importance of an individual’s self for determining the process of his
growth, development and appropriate adjustment to his environment.
∙        Self-theory holds that Personality is a  the interaction between two systems of ones
phenomenological field.

● Organism: - It represents the totality of one’s experience both conscious and
unconscious. (center of all experience)
●
● The self: -it refers to totality of ideas, feelings and attitudes the individual has
about himself (self-concept).  (I, Me and Myself). It developed through the
process of interpersonal and social experience.
●
∙        A world of an individual’s subjective experience is called ‘phenomenal field’.
∙        The acquisition of the concept of our self is a long and continues process.
∙        Human beings have inherited the tendency to develop their self in the process of
interpersonal and social experience.

Real self and Ideal self

o   Two faces of self

o   Real self is the self as it really is a result of one’s experience
o   Ideal self is the self one would be like to be.
∙        Once a concept of self is formed the individual strives to maintain it by regulating his
behaviour
∙        Sometimes individual develops some false self-image.
∙        Inconsistency between one’s actual image and a false self-image may lead to abnormality
in one’s behaviour.
∙        Remarkable difference between real self and ideal self is the sign of serious personality
disorder.
∙        The organism continually strives to develop and expand the self
∙        The basic force motivating the organism is self-actualization.
∙        The central agency regulating a person’s behaviour is the self.
∙        The normal personality development depends on the congruence (resemblance) among
different components of personality –(organism, real-self, ideal-self, and the external
reality).
∙        The larger gap between an individual’s self concept and reality, the poorer his
psychological adjustment, and as such he develops a deviant personality.
 LIFE SKILLS FOR MANAGING DIFFICULTIES IN CLASS ROOM SETTING

Effective classroom management is the key to being an effective teacher, as well as in

making sure learning is taking place. Managing a classroom has various dimensions and it
includes managing physical setting, social structure, psychological setting of the classroom,
handling the timing and pacing, managing more than one event at the same time, and recognizing
and tolerating the unpredictable nature of classroom life etc. The unpredictability of classroom
life has to be recognized and accepted as well as managed by developing strategies to deal with
it. For that a teacher should be equipped with adequate skills to decide the strategies to deal with
any difficulties in a classroom setting. Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behavior
that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life
(WHO 1994). In particular, life skills are a group of psychosocial competencies and
interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically
and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathize with others, and
cope with and manage their lives in a healthy and productive manner. Life skills may be directed
toward personal actions or actions toward others, as well as toward actions to change the
surrounding environment. So imbibing Life Skills will help a teacher to reduce the gap between
the teacher and student especially when a teacher is able to use empathy and interpersonal
relationship skills in the class room and this will enable the teacher to respect and treat the
students equally. Life skills enable a person to translate knowledge (What one knows) and
attitudes/values (What one believes and feels) into action (What to do and how to do it). Also,
including Life skill development in the curriculam can solve many of the issues in the class room
as it can help the learner to deal effectively with challenges in the class room. A Life Skills
Based approach to education cover four dimensions: 1) the individual dimension; 2) the social
dimension; 3) the cognitive / reflective dimension; and 4) the instrumental dimension. This
approach addresses real-life applications of essential knowledge, attitudes, and skills, and
employs interactive teaching and learning methods. Student participation in active learning can
strengthen student-teacher relationships, improve the classroom climate, accommodate a variety
of learning styles, and provide alternative ways of learning. Teaching life skills as generic skills
in relation to everyday life could form the foundation of life skills education for the promotion of
mental well-being, and healthy interaction and behaviour. Skills like communication,
interpersonal skills especially negotiating and assertiveness, empathy, decision making and
critical thinking skills, coping and self management skills are very essential not only for the
teacher also for the students to deal with the difficulties in classroom. Climate of a classroom is
largely based on the interpersonal relations and its influence on learning. When Life Skills
Approach will b implemented in the curriculum, that will help the students to connect the subject
with their life, one of the main difficulties which students face in the class room and the major
cause of disruptive behavior in classroom.  Ensuring that children are able to learn is an essential
part of an effective education system and the major responsibility of a teacher. Imparting Life
Skills help a teacher to be creative and to display many skills in the process of teaching and to
deal effectively with the demands and challenges in a classroom.