In pursuit of social competence

Sheldon D. Rose, Ph.D., is Professor, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. Through the Wisconsin Alumni Foun dation, the University of Wisconsin re search funds provided partial support for the project on which this article is based. PREVIOUS STUDIES Lack of social competence is a probthe group attractive to its members, lem for a large portion of the popu(2) create group situations requiring lation—for many so severe a difficulty members to be socially competent, (3) that they must lead isolated and fearcreate a variety of group roles that ful lives. This lack is often a part of members can play, (4) gradually dele other problems such as alcoholism, gate the responsibilities of leadership, sexual dilemmas, absenteeism from (5) enable members to function as school and work, depression, and loneconsultants and partners in the ther liness. Because this lack also has apeutic endeavor, and (6) control broad relevance to therapy, a program overwhelming group conflict so that has been developed that is aimed dimembers are not driven away, rectly at increasing social skills. Clients are taught to develop conversational ability, say "no" more often when ap propriate, use the telephone, make soSeveral studies have partially demon cial visits, have dates, use facial exstrated the effectiveness of assertive pression more effectively, and increase training in groups. Shoemaker and or control the manifestation of approPaulson have shown that, after partici priate feeling. As a person gains greater pating in such a program, mothers social competence and learns to be apexhibited significant increases in asser propriately assertive, there is evidence tive behaviors and decreases in aggres that his anxiety is reduced.1 sive ones.4 Similar results were ob This approach is called assertive tained for their husbands, who had training. It refers to a set of proparticipated only indirectly in the pro cedures for training clients primarily gram. Moreover, parents' ratings of through behavior rehearsal, modeling, their children also improved. Rathus and coaching in behavioral areas in found that students receiving assertive which they lack skills. Considerable training in a comparison study re anecdotal evidence exists for the use ported significantly more gains in the of this approach.2 Furthermore, sevreducing of fears of social criticism eral experiments in recent years have ar)d social incompetence and a greater demonstrated that various procedures increase in assertive behaviors than did in assertive training have successfully a control group.5 Although the degree modified specific behaviors related to was not significant, similar trends were social anxiety and unassertiveness.3 found in assertively trained subjects It would seem that deficits in social and those trained in the methods of skills can be most effectively treated discussion groups, in social situations with a number of Lomont et al. compared results for patients. The group can serve as a therapy of hospitalized patients through protected laboratory to practice skills group assertiveness and therapy through that must eventually be carried out in group insight.6 Assertively trained pa the community. The group provides tients showed significant changes in the clients with a variety of social sitvarious subscales of the Minnesota uations and potential roles that each Multiphasic Personality Inventory can play. Moreover, in role-played (MMPI) and the Leary interpersonal modeling and rehearsal the patients checklist, whereas the insight groups offer each other an assortment of anshowed no such changes. Finally, Fled tagonists and protagonists. In the quist and Weinhold showed that un group, members can have opportuniassertive and socially anxious students ties to assert themselves as leaders, who were either in a group being as therapeutic partners, or consultants to sertively trained or in group therapy fellow patients. that focused on verbal social learning To treat clients in the group, one moved further ahead in making verbal by one, as individual patients would assertive responses in the therapy situa of course fail to utilize the group's tion than did those in a control group.7 unique attributes. Therefore, in adBut there was no significant difference dition to direct treatment, the therabetween the two treatment groups, pist must initially strive to ( 1 ) make The results of these studies, although