A Study of Emotional Competence and Resilience Amongst Adolescents

Adolescence is a transitional phase characterized by cheerful enthusiasm and chronic stress. Some individuals drift through the phase swiftly while others undergo an intense emotional turmoil. This is evident, due to the differences in the emotional competence and coping abilities of each individual while witnessing life difficulties. Therefore, the current investigation attempts to study the relationship between Emotional Competence and Resilience amongst adolescents. The sample comprised of 110 school students (55 males & 5 5 females) in the age range of 12-14 years. For this purpose, The 14 item Resilience Scale (RS-14; Wagnild & Young, 1993) and Emotional Competence Inventory, ECI (Wolff, 2005) were administered. Data was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics (Mean & S.D.), Pearson Correlation Coefficient and t-ratio. Significant associations were observed between Emotional Competence and Resilience of adolescents (p>.01). This suggests that increasing emotional competence viz. self awareness, awareness of others emotions, self management and relationship management of adolescents can in turn result in enhancing their ability to deal with stressful life circumstances. However, no significant gender differences were evident in resilience or emotional competence. The results from the current study, therefore, could be utilized heuristically with future studies to develop intervention strategies for enhancing the resilience of adolescents.