Social Adequacy of Parents and Children

A theory substantially different from what is traditionally assumed concerning the etiological role of the family in pathology is proposed and tested. The theory proposes that inadequate skills for dealing with others are an important aspect of pathology and are imparted to the child by socially inadequate parents. Testing involved identifying two groups of men: one high in social skills and one with a lesser degree of social competence. The mothers of the subjects were interviewed and rated for social competence. As predicted, socially skilled offspring had socially skilled mothers, while less skilled offspring had mothers low in interpersonal competence.