Diversity considerations in assessing social skills

Evidence generally supports a situationally specific view of social skill competence. This perspective contends that behavior is specific to a particular situation, and therefore deficits in social skills are transient depending on the situational context (Meier & Hope, 1998). Therefore, when assessing social skill competency it is important to note that any observed behavior cannot necessarily be generalized from one situation to another. Many factors serve to influence social competence level such as unique environmental characteristics of a certain setting, characteristics of each particular person, and characteristics of those observing the behaviors of that person. This argument is especially relevant when taking into consideration diversity issues within the context of social skills assessment and treatment.