Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships.

In three studies we investigated the utility of distinguishing among different domains of interpersonal competence in college students' peer relationships. In Study 1 we developed a questionnaire to assess five dimensions of competence: initiating relationships, self-disclosure, asserting displeasure with others' actions, providing emotional support, and managing interpersonal conflicts. Initial validation evidence was gathered. We found that self-perceptions of competence varied as a function of sex of subject, sex of interaction partner, and competence domain. In Study 2 we found moderate levels of agreement between ratings of competence by subjects and their roommates. Interpersonal competence scores were also related in predictable ways to subject and roommate reports of masculinity and femininity, social self-esteem, loneliness, and social desirability. In Study 3 we obtained ratings of subjects' competence from their close friends and new acquaintances. Relationship satisfaction among new acquaintances was predicted best by initiation competence, whereas satisfaction in friendships was most strongly related to emotional support competence. The findings provide strong evidence of the usefulness of distinguishing among domains of interpersonal competence.

[1]  G. Chelune,et al.  Loneliness, self-disclosure, and interpersonal effectiveness. , 1980 .

[2]  J. Conger,et al.  Development and evaluation of a behaviorally referenced rating system for heterosocial skills , 1985 .

[3]  H. Schroeder,et al.  The social perception of assertive behavior as a function of response class and gender , 1983 .

[4]  S. Asher.  Social Competence and Peer Status: Recent Advances and Future Directions. , 1983 .

[5]  Irwin G. Sarason,et al.  Concomitants of Social Support: Social Skills, Physical Attractiveness and Gender. , 1985 .

[6]  L. Wheeler,et al.  Loneliness, social interaction, and sex roles. , 1983, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[7]  W. Zwick,et al.  Generalizability and discriminant validity of anxiety and social skills ratings in two populations , 1984 .

[8]  John M. Gottman,et al.  Toward the assessment of social competence. , 1978 .

[9]  R. Helson.  Masculinity and Femininity: Their Psychological Dimensions, Correlates, and Antecedents , 1979, Psychological Medicine.

[10]  F. A. Hampton,et al.  SHYNESS , 1927, The Journal of neurology and psychopathology.

[11]  Spencer A. Rathus,et al.  A 30-item schedule for assessing assertive behavior , 1973 .

[12]  Benjamin H. Gottlieb,et al.  Social Support and the Study of Personal Relationships , 1985 .

[13]  R. Friend,et al.  Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. , 1969, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[14]  P. Bentler,et al.  Significance Tests and Goodness of Fit in the Analysis of Covariance Structures , 1980 .

[15]  E. Gambrill,et al.  An assertion inventory for use in assessment and research , 1975 .

[16]  Michael Argyle,et al.  Social Skills and Mental Health , 1978 .

[17]  S. Duck,et al.  The Emerging Field of Personal Relationships , 1986 .

[18]  Joseph P. Stokes,et al.  Self-disclosure, intimacy, and the depenetration process. , 1984 .

[19]  Brian H. Spitzberg,et al.  Loneliness and Relationally Competent Communication , 1985 .

[20]  J. Gottman.  Marital Interaction: Experimental Investigations , 1980 .

[21]  D. Buhrmester,et al.  Children’s, Parents’, and Observers’ Perspectives on Sibling Relationships , 1989 .

[22]  John B. Nezlek,et al.  Sex differences in social participation , 1977 .

[23]  E. Blanchard,et al.  Situational determinants of assertive behaviors. , 1975, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[24]  J. Galassi,et al.  The college self-expression scale: A measure of assertiveness , 1974 .

[25]  John B. Nezlek,et al.  Physical attractiveness in social interaction. , 1980 .

[26]  John R. Nesselroade,et al.  Intraindividual differences dimensions of mood change during pregnancy identified in five P-technique factor analyses , 1978 .

[27]  J. Gormally.  Evaluation of assertiveness: Effects of gender, rater involvement, and level of assertiveness , 1982 .

[28]  J. Curran,et al.  An evaluation of two formats for the intermediate-level assessment of social skills , 1985 .

[29]  J. H. Tufts.  Human Nature and the Social Order. , 2022 .

[30]  M. Clark,et al.  Social skills and the stress-protective role of social support. , 1986, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[31]  Jacob Cohen,et al.  Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences , 1979 .

[32]  Self-Disclosure with Friends Across the Life Cycles , 1986 .

[33]  John B. Nezlek,et al.  Physical attractiveness in social interaction: II. Why does appearance affect social experience? , 1982 .

[34]  R. Nelson,et al.  The contribution of initiation behaviors to dating frequency , 1980 .

[35]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory , 1985 .

[36]  K. Dodge,et al.  The assessment of social competence in adolescents. , 1984 .

[37]  C. Barker,et al.  The helping process in couples , 1984, American journal of community psychology.

[38]  D. Russell,et al.  The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. , 1980, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[39]  P. Monti,et al.  Social Skill and Social Anxiety , 1980 .

[40]  Robert L. Helmreich,et al.  Short forms of the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI), an objective measure of self-esteem , 1974 .

[41]  R. Riggio.  Assessment of Basic Social Skills , 1986 .

[42]  W. H. Jones,et al.  Loneliness and social skill deficits. , 1982, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[43]  Harry T. Reis,et al.  Sex differences in the intimacy of social interaction: Further examination of potential explanations. , 1985 .

[44]  R. McFall,et al.  Heterosocial Avoidance in College Males , 1981 .

[45]  J. G. Hollandsworth,et al.  Sex Differences in Assertive Behavior: An Empirical Investigation , 1977 .

[46]  R. Rosenthal.  Sensitivity to Nonverbal Communication: The PONS Test , 1979 .

[47]  R. McFall,et al.  Behavioral training of social skills in shy males. , 1975, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[48]  H. Reis,et al.  Loneliness, Social Skills, and Social Perception , 1986 .

[49]  Alan Vaux,et al.  Social Support Resources , 1984 .

[50]  D. L. Tasto,et al.  Development and factor analysis of a social anxiety inventory , 1976 .

[51]  R. Hansson,et al.  Relational Competence and Social Support among Parents at Risk of Child Abuse , 1988 .

[52]  S. Snodgrass,et al.  Women's intuition: The effect of subordinate role on interpersonal sensitivity. , 1985 .

[53]  R. McFall.  A review and reformulation of the concept of social skills. , 1982 .

[54]  S. Meikle,et al.  The topography of assertive behavior in positive and negative situations , 1980 .

[55]  M. Goldfried,et al.  A Behavioral-Analytic Model for Assessing Competence1 , 1969 .

[56]  W. H. Jones,et al.  The Social Reticence Scale: an objective instrument to measure shyness. , 1982, Journal of personality assessment.

[57]  R. McFall,et al.  Development of a competence inventory for college men and evaluation of relationships between competence and depression. , 1982, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.