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2 AUGUST 2010
NO 1610
Social competence
Social skills training methods represent a melding of tech- niques, many of which were derived from social learning theory literature. Behavioral outcomes evolved from the extension of social competence theory and vocational adjustment research on adult handicapped. It can be described as a structured and direct teaching approach that facilitates the acquisition, production, and generalization of personal and social behavior. For the purposes of this discussion, personal behavior is defined as that which is directed to oneself and can be characterized as intra-individual in nature. In most cases, depending on the theorist, this refers to such broad functions as feelings, self-esteem, stress reduction, and so on. In a practical sense, this may be operationalized as teaching the youngsters to label their feelings, display self-control, deal with failure, and so forth. Social behavior, however, is defined as that which is directed to others and can be characterized as inter—individual exchanges. Here the reference is to interpersonal behavior, aggression man- agement, expression of affect, and so forth. This may mean such behaviors as cooperation, sharing feelings, apologizing, sports- manship, and other behaviors depending on the population, set- ting, and program. One might ask how individuals acquire personal and social competence. What systems are operating to ensure that people behave according to some minimal level of decorum? Although society often does not approach this issue directly or systemati- cally, a number of behavioral acquisition and intervention systems overlap and operate in homes, schools, and communities, and respond to the deficiencies in the personal and social skill reper- toires of children and youths. Although these systems may not share similar mandates, espouse compatible philosophies, or re- spond to the same constituencies, they may provide societal and structural responses to the social development needs of children and youths, especially those in conflict or crisis. These systems include discipline systems, special interven- tions, prosthetic environments, and incidental learning. Propo- nents of social skills training would suggest that the one system that is lacking or of'ten unrecognized is the direct instruction of personal-social competence. (See table 1.) Discipline systems, which this author refers to as the traffic cop model, operate in many environments and emphasize the delivery of punitive consequences for the occurrence of inappropri- ate behaviors. Although this approach may be immediately effec- tive, its effects may not endure over time, it may evoke troublesome emotional responses, and it may not generalize to a broader range of settings. For example, public school environments are notorious for employing discipline systems of one sort or another. Their goal is to prevent and control negative behavior through the application of punitive consequences. More to the point, however, is the absence of any instruction that will allow the individual to avoid the negative consequences that characterize this system. It is not uncommon in discipline systems for youngsters to be left on their own to determine what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Some child care programs operate in this same manner by establishing levels of consequences and behavioral expectations sometimes referred to as level or step systems. Although practition- ers may take great care to point out the expectations in these settings in preplacement reviews or orientations, the emphasis still is on the application of consequences without accompanying attention to the teaching of acceptable behavior. To retum to the metaphor of driving and traffic cops, we are rarely reinforced by the legal authorities for driving carefully and we are not taught by those agencies to any significant degree to drive safely. When we make an error or drive carelessly, however, the likely response of this system is punitive.
RICHARD G. FOX
Fox, R.G. (1990). Social skills training: Teaching
troubled youths to be socially competent. In Krueger, M. and Powell, N.
(Eds.). Choices in Caring. Washington D.C., Child Welfare League of
America. pp. 43-44.
