SOFT SKILLS AS A SYSTEM OF PERSONALITY META-COMPETENCIES: PSYCHOLOGICAL NATURE, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTIONAL ROLE
Keywords:
soft skills, meta-competencies, personality psychology, self-regulation, emotional intelligence, adaptability, professional effectiveness, psychological regulation, competency approachAbstract
The article examines the psychological nature of soft skills and substantiates the necessity of considering them as a system of personality meta-competencies. In contemporary psychology and occupational sciences, soft skills are often interpreted as separate universal skills ensuring successful communication and professional adaptation. However, such an approach does not fully explain the systemic, integrative, and regulatory nature of soft skills within personality functioning.The study argues that soft skills should be conceptualized not as isolated competencies but as an integrated system of meta-competencies that regulate cognitive, emotional, motivational, communicative, and behavioral processes. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that soft skills possess trans-situational, supra-professional, and regulatory characteristics typical of meta-competencies. Their functional role extends beyond specific actions and includes coordination of behavior, adaptation to uncertainty, organization of interaction, and self-regulation of activity.
An empirical study involving university students was conducted to examine the structural interrelations among key soft skills components. Correlation analysis revealed stable interconnections between communication, self-regulation, adaptability, emotional intelligence, leadership, and analytical thinking, confirming the systemic organization of soft skills. The findings indicate that soft skills function as an integrated psychological system rather than as independent fragmented abilities.
The article concludes that interpreting soft skills as meta-competencies significantly expands the theoretical understanding of professional effectiveness and provides new methodological foundations for psychological diagnostics, education, and personnel development.
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