Respectful Relationships

Emotional Literacy:

‘Emotional literacy’ is described as the ability to understand ourselves and other people, and in particular to be aware of, understand, and use information about the emotional states of ourselves and others. It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others (Weare, 2004). Research shows that emotional literacy is associated with children who are smarter, nicer, happier and more resilient (Borba, 2016).

Emotional literacy is an important element of Respectful Relationships. Due to social gender norms, our expectations for boys and girls differ. Within society there is a belief that boys and men should not express their emotions as it makes them too feminine, less manly or weak. In line with that belief, we tend to talk more about emotional experiences with girls than with boys. As a result, girls tend to be better at tuning in to their own, and others emotions (Rymanowicz, 2017). By teaching emotional literacy we aim to break down these gender norms and equip all students with the understanding and ability to express and manage their emotions and respond to the emotions of others.