Defining emotional competence as the demonstration of self-efficacy in emotion-eliciting social transactions, this paper presents a model of emotional competence that explores the factors and skills contributing to the development of a mature emotional response that supports an individual's social goals. The paper first describes the primary contributors to emotional competence, including the self or ego identity, moral sense, and developmental history. The paper then details eight skills that constitute emotional competence: (1) awareness of one's emotional state; (2) ability to discern others' emotions; (3) ability to describe emotions; (4) capacity to empathize with other's emotional experiences; (5) ability to realize the difference between inner emotional states and outward expression; (6) capacity for adaptive coping with aversive emotions; (7) awareness of the role of emotions in the structure of relationships; and (8) the capacity for emotional self-efficacy. Next, the paper distinguishes between theories of emotional competence and emotional intelligence. The paper concludes by discussing one of the consequences of emotional competence, the effective skill in managing one's emotions, which is considered critical to negotiating interpersonal exchanges. (JPB)