Social competence
Social competence refers to an individual’s ability to solve everyday problems
and achieve affiliation goals (Liberman, Mueser, & Wallace, 1986). Social skills are
key components of this competence. Thus, and to clarify the use of both terms, it
can be stated that social skills refer to a specific set of skills including cognition and
all those verbal and nonverbal behaviours needed to achieve effective
interpersonal performance. Meanwhile, social competence is the general ability of
the individual to act successfully on its social environment. Finally, adjustment or
social functioning is the current confluence of instrumental and affiliation needs
Social skills training for people with schizophrenia 465
that are the natural consequence of social competence (Liberman et al., 1986) (see
figure 1).
As discussed in the previous section, different studies have shown a
relationship between deficits in aspects of social cognition and the poor social
competence of persons with schizophrenia. However, Brüne, Abdel-Hamid,
Lehmkämper, and Sonntag (2007) indicate that the inability to appreciate one’s
own and others’ mental state (ToM) is the best predictor of social competence
deficit in patients with schizophrenia, and highlight it as a "core" symptom of
schizophrenia spectrum disorders.