In psychology, the four stages of competence relate to the psychological states involved in the process of progressing from incompetence to competence in a skill:

Unconscious incompetence:

The individual neither understands or knows how to do something, nor recognizes the deficit or has a desire to address it.

Conscious incompetence:

Though the individual does not understand or know how to do something, he or she does recognize the deficit, without yet addressing it.

Conscious competence:

The individual understands or knows how to do something. However, demonstrating the skill or knowledge requires a great deal of consciousness or concentration.

Unconscious competence:

The individual has had so much practice with a skill that it becomes "second nature" and can be performed easily (often without concentrating too deeply). He or she can also teach it to others.

External links

• Conscious competence learning model - further history of the idea

Learning | Psychological theories

Kompetenzstufenentwicklung