ABSTRACT
In order to satisfy all three psychological needs it is necessary to have an effective repertoire of interpersonal skills. In their review of the area, Spitzberg and Cupach (2011, p. 481) point out that, ‘Social and interpersonal skills are the means through which all human relationships are initiated, negotiated, maintained, transformed, and dissolved’. These skills have always been important. Our early ancestors who lived in groups were more likely to survive than those who lived alone, and so the skills involved in developing and maintaining social bonds assumed a central role in human evolution (Leary, 1996). Forgas and Williams (2001, p. 7) noted that: ‘Homo sapiens is a highly sociable species… our impressive record of achievements owes a great deal to the highly elaborate strategies we have developed for getting along with each other and co-ordinating our interpersonal behaviors’. Indeed, Levinson (2006) argued that the human mind is specifically adapted to enable us to engage in social interaction, and that we could therefore be more accurately referred to as Homo interagens.
