Once these signals have been sent, you are pitched into full-fledged fear: you become aware of the characteristic tightness in your gut, your speeding heart, the tightening of the muscles around your neck and shoulders or the trembling of your limbs; your body freezes in place as you strain your attention to hear any further sounds, and your mind races with possible lurking dangers and ways to respond. This entire sequence—from surprise to uncertainty to apprehension to fear—can be telescoped within a second or so. (For more information, see Jerome Kagan, Galen's Prophecy. New York: Basic Books, 1994.)
APPENDIX D
W. T. Grant Consortium: Active Ingredients of Prevention Programs
Key ingredients of effective programs include:
EMOTIONAL SKILLS
• Identifying and labeling feelings
• Expressing feelings
• Assessing the intensity of feelings
• Managing feelings
• Delaying gratification
• Controlling impulses
• Reducing stress
• Knowing the difference between feelings and actions
COGNITIVE SKILLS
• Self-talk—conducting an "inner dialogue" as a way to cope with a topic or challenge or reinforce one's own behavior
• Reading and interpreting social cues—for example, recognizing social influences on behavior and seeing oneself in the perspective of the larger community
• Using steps for problem-solving and decision-making—for instance, controlling impulses, setting goals, identifying alternative actions, anticipating consequences
• Understanding the perspective of others
• Understanding behavioral norms (what is and is not acceptable behavior)
• A positive attitude toward life
• Self-awareness—for example, developing realistic expectations about oneself
BEHAVIORAL SKILLS
• Nonverbal—communicating through eye contact, facial expressiveness, tone of voice, gestures, and so on
• Verbal—making clear requests, responding effectively to criticism, resisting negative influences, listening to others, helping others, participating in positive peer groups
SOURCE: W. T. Grant Consortium on the School-Based Promotion of Social Competence, "Drug and Alcohol Prevention Curricula," in J. David Hawkins et al., Communities That Care (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992).
APPENDIX E
The Self Science Curriculum
Main components:
• Self-awareness: observing yourself and recognizing your feelings; building a vocabulary for feelings; knowing the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and reactions
• Personal decision-making: examining your actions and knowing their consequences; knowing if thought or feeling is ruling a decision; applying these insights to issues such as sex and drugs
• Managing feelings: monitoring "self-talk" to catch negative messages such as internal put-downs; realizing what is behind a feeling (e.g., the hurt that underlies anger);finding ways to handle fears and anxieties, anger, and sadness
• Handling stress: learning the value of exercise, guided imagery, relaxation methods
• Empathy: understanding others' feelings and concerns and taking their perspective; appreciating the differences in how people feel about things
• Communications: talking about feelings effectively: becoming a good listener and question-asker; distinguishing between what someone does or says and your own reactions or judgments about it; sending "I" messages instead of blame
• Self-disclosure: valuing openness and building trust in a relationship; knowing when it's safe to risk talking about your private feelings
• Insight: identifying patterns in your emotional life and reactions; recognizing similar patterns in others
• Self-acceptance: feeling pride and seeing yourself in a positive light; recognizing your strengths and weaknesses; being able to laugh at yourself
• Personal responsibility: taking responsibility; recognizing the consequences of your decisions and actions, accepting your feelings and moods, following through on commitments (e.g., to studying)
• Assertiveness: stating your concerns and feelings without anger or passivity
• Group dynamics: cooperation; knowing when and how to lead, when to follow
• Conflict resolution: how to fight fair with other kids, with parents, with teachers; the win/win model for negotiating compromise
SOURCE: Karen F. Stone and Harold Q. Dillehunt, Self Science: The Subject Is Me (Santa Monica: Goodyear Publishing Co., 1978).
APPENDIX F
Social and Emotional Learning: Results
Child Development Project
Eric Schaps, Development Studies Center, Oakland, California.
Evaluation in schools in Northern California, grades K-6; rating by independent observers, comparing with control schools.
RESULTS:
• more responsible
• more assertive
• more popular and outgoing
• more pro-social and helpful
• better understanding of others
• more considerate, concerned
• more pro-social strategies for interpersonal problem-solving
• more harmonious
• more "democratic"
• better conflict-resolution skills
SOURCES: E. Schaps and V. Battistich, "Promoting Health Development Through School-Based Prevention: New Approaches," OSAP Prevention Monograph, no. 8: Preventing Adolescent Drug Use: From Theory to Practice. Eric Gopelrud (ed.), Rockville, MD: Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, 1991.
D. Solomon, M. Watson, V. Battistich, E. Schaps, and K. Delucchi, "Creating a Caring Community: Educational Practices That Promote Children's Prosocial Development," in F. K. Oser, A. Dick, and J.-L. Patry, eds., Effective and Responsible Teaching: The New Synthesis (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992).
Paths
Mark Greenberg, Fast Track Project, University of Washington.
Evaluated in schools in Seattle, grades 1-5; ratings by teachers, comparing matched control students among 1) regular students, 2) deaf students, 3) special-education students.
RESULTS:
• Improvement in social cognitive skills
• Improvement in emotion, recognition, and understanding
• Better self-control
• Better planning for solving cognitive tasks
• More thinking before acting
• More effective conflict resolution
• More positive classroom atmosphere
SPECIAL-NEEDS STUDENTS:
Improved classroom behavior on:
• Frustration tolerance
• Assertive social skills
• Task orientation
• Peer skills
• Sharing
• Sociability
• Self-control
IMPROVED EMOTIONAL UNDERSTANDING:
• Recognition
• Labeling
• Decreases in self-reports of sadness and depression