ABSTRACT
SOCIAL skill has become an almost ubiquitous concept. The importance of social skill is evidenced by the numerous constructs in which it has been implicated as a causal factor. Social skill is hypothesized to be involved in the etiology of delinquency (Freedman, Rosenthal, Donahoe, Schlundt, & McFall, 1978), depression (Fisher-Beckerfield, 1979), loneliness (Spitzberg & Canary, 1983), social anxiety (Curran, 1977; Curran et al., 1980; Farrell, Mariotto, Conger, Curran, & Wallander, 1979), mental illness (Trower, Bryant, & Argyle, 1978), and numerous other psychosocial disorders (Barrios, 1980; Finch & Wallace, 1977; Monti, Corriveau, & Curran, 1982; Numbers & Chapman, 1982). Conversely, mastery of social skills commonly is assumed to facilitate psychological and social adjustment (Breen, Donlon, & Whitaker, 1977; Foote & Cottrell, 1955). It is no surprise, therefore, that behavioral social skills training has become a major mode of intervention for individuals experiencing interpersonal and psychological problems (Curran, 1977; Ladd & Mize, 1983).
