Synonyms
Definition
Social competence has been used to describe the ability to successfully navigate interpersonal situations by using available social information to determine the context and appropriate behavioral response (e.g., Taborsky and Oliveria 2012; Vaughn et al. 2009). Such skills call upon behavioral, cognitive, and affective resources to achieve social goals such as the formation of relationships and conflict resolution without preventing others from achieving those same goals (Larson et al. 2007; Vaughn et al. 2009).
Current Knowledge
Understanding social competence has been approached from a number of perspectives including behavioral analysis (Goldfried and D’Zurilla 1969), social information processing (Crick and Dodge 1994), and an integrated model inclusive of phenotypic plasticity (Taborsky and Oliveria 2012). According to Taborsky and Oliveria, “social competence is based on behavioral flexibility” and therefore requires examination...
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References and Readings
Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children’s social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 74–101.
Dunbar, R. M., & Schultz, S. (2007). Evolution in the social brain. Science, 317, 1344–1347.
Goldfried, M. R., & D’Zurilla, T. J. (1969). Current topics in clinical and community psychology. New York: Academic.
Janusz, J. A., Kirkwood, M. W., Yeates, K. O., & Taylor, H. G. (2002). Social problem-solving skills in children with traumatic brain injury: Long-term outcomes and prediction of social competence. Child Neuropsychology, 8 (3), 179–194.
Larson, J. J., Whitton, S. W., Hauser, S. T., & Allen, J. P. (2007). Being close and being social: Peer ratings of distinct aspects of young adult social competence. Journal of Personality Assessment, 89 (2), 136–148.
Taborsky, B., & Oliveira, R. F. (2012). Social competence: An evolutionary approach. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 27 (12), 679–688.
Vaughn, B. E., Shin, N., Kim, M, Coppola, G., Krzysik, L. Santos, A. J., ..., & Korth, B. (2009). Hierarchical models of social competence in preschool children: A multisite multinational study. Child Development, 80 (6), 1175–1796.
Zeedyk, S. M., Cohen, S. R., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2016). Perceived social competence and loneliness among young children with ASD: Child, parent and teacher reports. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46 (2), 436–449.
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Polakoff, B., Clark, E. (2017). Social Competence. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1493-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1493-2
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