What does it mean to be emotionally competent? What specific emotional capabilities are subsumed under this rubric, and how do they develop in the individual? This innovative book argues that emotional competence is demonstrated by self-efficacy in emotion-eliciting encounters, and identifies eight key emotional skills that support its acquisition in interpersonal contexts. With a focus on children between the ages of five and fourteen, each skill is addressed in a separate chapter, using cutting-edge theory and empirical data that are integrated with lively case examples and narratives. Saarni also emphasizes the cultural and gender context of emotional experience, and the significance of moral disposition and personal integrity for mature emotional competence is considered. Throughout, the links between emotional competence, socialization, and resilience in the face of stress are clearly and thoughtfully demonstrated. A concluding chapter on emotional dysfunction asks why and what happens when children fail to develop specific emotional skills.