1: An Introduction to Interpersonal Competence.- Definitions.- Competence.- Skill(s).- Knowledge.- Motivation.- Themes in the Competence Literature.- Control.- Collaboration.- Adaptability.- Summary.- 2: The Social Relevance of Competence.- Mental Disorders.- Mental Illness and Schizophrenia.- Depression.- Anxiety Disorders.- Stress-Related Disorders.- Anxiety.- Shyness.- Relational Disorders.- Heterosocial Anxiety and Skills.- Loneliness.- Network Adjustment.- Academic Disorders.- Developmental Disorders of Children.- Other Socially Relevant Phenomena.- Juvenile Delinquency.- Drug Abuse.- Mental Retardation.- Sexual Offense.- Therapeutic Outcomes.- Summary.- 3: Issues in Interpersonal Competence Research.- Trait Versus State.- Distinguishing Features of Traits and States.- Criticisms of Trait Competence Measures.- Criticisms of State Competence Measures.- Locus of Measurement.- Actor's Self-Evaluation.- Partner's Evaluation of Actor.- Third-Party Observations.- Comparisons of Actor, Partner and Observer Perspectives.- Individual Versus Relational Competence.- General Relational Competence.- Specific Relational Competence.- Interactional Competence.- Neglected Measurement Issues.- Artifacts.- Level of Abstraction.- Timing of Competence Judgments.- Summary.- 4: A Review of Measures.- Decision Parameters for Reviewing Measures.- A Grammar of Measurement Concepts.- Cone's Behavioral Assessment Grid.- Constellation Measures of Interpersonal Competence.- Assertiveness.- Empathy and Role-Taking.- Motivation.- Fundamental Social/Behavioral Competence.- Children's Competence.- Issues of Factor Structure.- A Description of Measures of Interpersonal Competence.- 5: Priorities for Interpersonal Competence Research.- The Need for Theory Development.- Promising Directions for Measurement.- Behavior Analytic Method.- Utility X Generalizability Decision Approach.- Incorporating Context into Competence Research.- Links Between Context and Interpersonal Competence.- Strategies for Assessing Situation.- Challenges in Accounting for Situation.- Summary and Conclusions.- A Bibliography on Interpersonal Competence.

Handbook of Interpersonal Competence Research offers a vital desk reference to anyone doing research on social skills and interaction. Interpersonal competence, defined broadly, refers to the quality or skillfulness of social interaction. The reference manual provides a complete and comprehensive bibliography on this subject, with over 1,600 entries, in addition to a review of over 80 measures directly related to the study of competence. The Handbook covers more measures, more constellation measures, and provides a far more detailed bibliography than any source available to date. No other work on this subject approaches the level of breadth and depth of both published and unpublished background sources. Handbook of Interpersonal Competence Research will be valuable to clinicians, consulting psychologists, organizational consultants, researchers, and students interested in the assessment of social skills.