We can consider aptitude the ability to learn a certain behavior, or a congenital condition of a certain efficiency that becomes a capacity only if it is manifested, but which can always remain in a latent state, or even a natural predisposition. Personal skills facilitate the development of particular forms of activity, since they are psychophysical skills that can facilitate or hinder the completion of a training or work project. With this Psychology-Online article we will therefore see What are personal skills, a list of skills and some examples.
What are personal skills
The definition of aptitude varies from one author to another, some recognize substantially a single definable aptitude, intelligence, others show innumerable aptitudes.
- Pieron defines aptitude as congenital condition (predisposition) to a certain mode of effectiveness; It may remain in the state of latency and never manifest, but if it does, it is transformed into a skill and can support the acquisition and expression of knowledge and abilities. In this article you will find.
- According to Piaget aptitude is what differentiates two individuals that have the same characteristics.
- For other authors, aptitude is a set of elements that allows a person to perform complex activities (and therefore manifest skill): skiing, speaking a language, building objects, etc.
- Gemelli defines skills as determinants that give rise to different returns and the consequent peculiar ways of reacting; In other words, whoever owns them makes it easier to carry out a particular activity.
- For Claparede, an aptitude is a physical or psychological attribute considered from the point of view of the performance: resistance to fatigue, perseverance in effort, motor or mental speed, etc.
In some cases, instead of aptitudes, we even talk about talent or gift; However, even considering useful skills as prerequisites, we must not forget that all complex human activity also derives from the expression of personality and will put into practice.
The aptitudesIn fact, they are presented as an original factor, we could say genetic, but then they are forged by environmental conditions. Artists like Goya and Mozart were very early in their manifestations of aptitude, but certainly educational conditions were equally determining. Aptitudes, if cultivated, are reinforced over time and transformed, evolving into skill. It must be remembered that high aptitudes, but without the spring of interest, stimulus, and will, end up not giving positive results in terms of expression of the consequent ability.
Aptitude is not the same as attitude. In this article we explain the.
Types of personal skills
The most traditional and shared classification distinguishes physiological, sensory, motor and intellectual abilities on a kind of scale of increasing complexity:
- The physiological abilities They are represented by strength, physical resistance, etc. Let’s think about the importance of the consistency of muscle masses for certain archaic occupations or for certain sports, which can be counterproductive for hockey. Let’s also think about certain characteristics of the rib cage and leg muscles that make the difference between cyclists.
- The sensory skills They are represented by the so-called five senses, which can be more or less accentuated. They are the most obvious and the most constant, and their measurement and evaluation goes back to the origin of experimental psychology.
- The motor skills They can be highlighted in sports, crafts, musical and artistic activities in general. Let’s think about manual dexterity, the sense of balance, the harmony that can be expressed in free-body gymnastics, in dance, in playing an instrument like the violin or piano.
- The mental skills They are represented by the faculty of thought organization. Think of the power of concentration required of a surgeon or a goldsmith, or the power to control multiple phenomena typical of an orchestra conductor.
How skills are identified and measured
Given that aptitudes are configurable in a complex and correlated way, attempts have been made to measure them by developing special tests or reagents such as those of the psychosensory, perceptual-motor, psycho-motor, mental tests, etc. A widely used reagent is the Thurstone test, a multifactorial battery of primary aptitudes to evaluate nine areas. These instruments have credibility and usefulness for young people, but we must remember that, since skills are a substantial abstraction, those that can be measured are, in practice, skills, that is, skills that are in some way stimulated and made applicable.
If we recover the concept of aptitude as the set of dispositions, inclinations, psycho-physical conditions that make possible the fulfillment of a particular activity, we see that with education and experience you find more or less effective forms of expression. Aptitudes, in other words, are inextricably linked. related to age, education, exercise, sex, etc. For example, we know how to do calculations, even complicated ones, because in addition to having the aptitude for calculation, we have learned to do the accounts.
Therefore, to capture skills in their essence, the factors education, study, experimentation, application and experience would have to be eliminated. It must be remembered that most aptitudes during adolescence become skills. In fact, only two ways can partially allow us to go back to aptitudes: comparing people with education, studies, etc. equal, noting the differences in the different benefits; or refer to individuals who belong to children’s age.
30 examples of skills for a resume
As individual abilities are the central core of the individual’s personality, their understanding plays a very important role for the personal brand: practicing a profession in association with one’s own personal abilities guarantees strong stimuli and ample gratification; On the contrary, when professional careers and skills take different paths, contradictions and dissonant situations are experienced. If you can invest in training and development, you cannot invest in skills.
To better understand the concept, we will see examples of personal and work skills. Below is a list of 30 professional skills Important interesting for a curriculum vitae (CV):
- Spirit of adaptation
- Problem resolution
- Tenacity
- Goal orientation
- Team work
- Creativity
- Proactivity
- Attention to details
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Integrity
- Courage
- Competence
- Efficient communication
- Initiative
- Dynamism
- Precision
- Planning
- Organization
- Autonomy
- Sensitivity
- I respect
- Cordiality
- Concentration
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Cocco, G. C. (2005). L’apprendimento comes competitive advantage. “Time to mind”: the valorization of the printing competence for innovation. Milan: Franco Angeli.
- Ostillio, MC (2020). Personal Branding. Milan: EGEA.
- Spalletta, E., Quaranta, C. (2004). Comprehensive scholastic counseling. Rome: Sovera Editore.