Mental Health and Adult Social Competence SOCIAL COMPETENCE THEORY ERFCON 2017 9th International Conference of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb 17 – 19 May 2017, Zagreb Mental Health and Adult Social Competence Petra Hruškar¹, Mirta Vranko² ¹Primary school Podmurvice Rijeka, ²University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapče ABSTRACT Group acceptance Goal – oriented approaches Aggression Top – down approach Self – determination Theory Attachment Theory Resource Control Theory Bottom – up approach Interest in this topic stems from the daily work with adults in the area of mental health. Literature review suggests that this construct different authors define differently; in a way that usually social competence is being described during childhood and adolescence, while the same construct in adulthood describes inconsistently the same phenomenon. Given the importance and ubiquity of social competence in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adults suffering from mental disorders seems important to clearly define social competence. Due to the damage of social competence in the context of mental disorders like the disturbing quality of life for a large proportion of the adult population is extremely important to know the possibilities of strengthening social competence in order to prevent relapse. For these reasons, it is evident the need for a theoretical overview of the domestic and foreign literature whose results will be presented in this paper. Gresham and Elliott (1987), Greenspan (1999), Reschly, Myers and Hartel (2002) have argued that social competence has received too little attention in the conceptualization and measurement of adaptive behavior. Their model divides social competence into two overall dimensions: adaptive behavior, which includes the factors contained on most adaptive behavior scales (independent functioning, self-direction, personal responsibility, vocational activity, functional academic skills, physical development) and social skills (interpersonal behaviors, self-related behaviors, academic-related skills, assertion, peer acceptance, communication skills).  SOCIAL COMPETENCE THEORY Markus (2010) describes social competence as a complex construct that refers to the effective functioning of an individual in a social context, while also successfully achieving personal goals. The foreign literature describes social competence as part of emotional intelligence, which is related to the effective functioning of the social context. Stamp et al. (2009) suggest Dodge's (1985) definition, according to which social competence is a multidimensional construct that includes relationships, the frequency of interaction, a positive self-concept and social and cognitive skills. SOCIAL COPMETENCE (SOCIAL AWARENESS) Social Sensitivity Social Insight Social Communication Social Goal Setting Self-Awareness and Understanding CONCLUSION The importance of social competence and satisfying social relations is life-long. Pretis (2015) explains that social competence is a resilience factor in patients with mental illness. However, it is necessary to further investigate the tretment possibilities of social competence training. REFERENCES Social competence is regarded as a complex, multi-dimensional concept consisting of social, emotional, cognitive, behavioral and motivational skills needed for successful social adaptations. Social competence is also defined as “an ability to achieve personal goals in social interaction while simultaneously maintaining positive relationships with others over time and across settings” (Rubin and Rose-Krasnor, 1992). Pretis, M. (2015) Social Competenceas Resilience Factor in Mental Health and Disability Research and Practice. (in) Social Competences, creativity and Wellbeeing. Plovdiv: Plovdiv University Press Stump et al. (2009). Theories of Social Competence from the Top – Down to the Bottom – Up: A Case for Considering Foundational Human Needs. (in) Matson, J. (2009). Social Behavior and Skills in Children, 23 - 37. New York: Springer – Verlag Mental Retardation: Determining Eligibility for Social Security Benefits. National Research Council (US) Committee on Disability Determination for Mental Retardation; Reschly DJ., Myers TG., Hartel CR. (eds.),Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2002. Rubin, K. H. & Rose- Krasnor, L. (1992). Interpersonal problem solving.(in) Van Hassett, VB., Hersen , M. (eds.), Handbook of Social Development (pp. 283-323). New York: Plenum 9th International Conference of the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences University of Zagreb, 17 – 19 May 2017, Zagreb, Croatia