Elsevier

Developmental Review

Volume 3, Issue 1, March 1983, Pages 79-97
Developmental Review

Social competence as a developmental construct

https://doi.org/10.1016/0273-2297(83)90010-2Get rights and content

Abstract

The concept of social competence presents problems for conceptualization and assessment. At times researchers have tried to circumvent these problems by defining competence in terms of specific capacities or skills, with the consequence that the integrative potential of the concept is lost. On the other hand, more molar definitions (e.g., “effectiveness”), while being true to the integrative nature of the construct, provide little guidance for assessment. In this paper a developmental perspective on competence is presented which is congruent with a molar definition of competence while still guiding assessment efforts. In addition to this developmental viewpoint, certain practical guidelines are presented for assessment of competence across ages. These include the use of broadband assessments, which are tied to real-life adaptational problems, call for the coordination of affect, cognition, and behavior, and tax the integrative capacities of the child. Initial validation of the developmental competence construct and this approach to assessment is presented.

References (29)

  • M. Ainsworth et al.
  • S. Anderson et al.

    Social competency in young children

    Developmental Psychology

    (1974)
  • R. Arend et al.

    Continuity of individual adaptation from infancy to kindergarten: A predictive study of ego-resiliency and curiosity in preschoolers

    Child Development

    (1979)
  • D. Baumrind

    The development of instrumental competence through socialization: Focus on girls

  • D. Bem et al.

    Predicting more of the people more of the time: Assessing the personality of situations

    Psychological Review

    (1978)
  • M. Blehar et al.

    Early face-to-face interaction and its relation to later infant-mother attachment

    Child Development

    (1977)
  • J. Block et al.

    The role of ego-control and ego-resiliency in the organization of behavior

  • J. Cronbach et al.

    Construct validity in psychological tests

    Psychological Bulletin

    (1955)
  • B. Egeland et al.

    Attachment and early maltreatment

    Child Development

    (1981)
  • S. Epstein

    The self concept revisited, or a theory of a theory

    American Psychologist

    (1973)
  • S. Epstein

    The stability of behavior. II. Implications for psychological research

    American Psychologist

    (1980)
  • N. Garmezy

    Competence and adaptation in adult schizophrenic patients and children at risk

  • N. Garmezy

    Children at risk: The search for the antecedents of schizophrenia. Part I. Conceptual models and research methods

    Schizophrenia Bulletin

    (1975)
  • C. George et al.

    Social interactions of young abused children: Approach, avoidance and aggression

    Child Development

    (1979)
  • Cited by (482)

    • Towards AI-governance in psychosocial care: A systematic literature review analysis

      2023, Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity
    View all citing articles on Scopus

    The paper was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF/BNS 8004572).

    View full text