People, as social beings, are forced to establish relationships with their peers, whether in the family, educational, work or leisure environment. However, it is not always easy to function in a certain social context. And it is not due to a lack of capabilities, but because the necessary skills to do so have not been acquired. Within the field of health, it has been shown that teaching to develop these skills is the most effective way to establish healthy behaviors, both individually and collectively. There are many definitions that illustrate the meaning of abilities. Some authors refer to them as the skills to conduct oneself through life in a skillful and competent manner, within the social and cultural possibilities of each one: they act as a link between the factors that motivate knowledge, attitudes and values; promote the generation of protection factors against psychosocial problems derived from the environment; and they help to know how to face the demands and challenges that life puts before us.
In general, three classes of skills are identified: social or interpersonal (such as assertive communication or empathy), cognitive (such as decision-making or critical thinking) and emotion management skills (such as stress ).