Abstract:

Within the implementation of positive psychology into the school environment, the emphasis is also placed on the factors of social environment and the support of adolescent´s psychological needs by important people from the family, school and peer environment, including friends. In adolescence, friendship becomes an important supportive relationship. Several studies confirm that friendly relationship is an important socializing factor in the development, adjustment and mental health of children and adolescents. The present article deals with a relationship between the quality of friendship and the social competence among adolescents. Our research sample consisted of 102 high school respondents aged 15-19 (middle and older adolescence period). To measure social competence we used the Questionnaire of Social skills inventory „SSI“ (Riggio, 1989) which consists of 6 scales: emotional expressivity, emotional sensitivity, emotional control, social expressivity, social sensitivity and social control. The quality of friendship among adolescents was measured through the Friendship qualities scale „FQS“ (Bukowski et al., 1994). The results pointed out the positive relation between the social competence and the quality of friendship. We specifically noticed the significant relation between the social and emotional sphere of the social competence and the scales of friendship: companionship, help, security and the closeness in the friendship. The negative relation was seen between the sphere of social and emotional competence and the scales of conflicts in friendship. Based on the results, we may assume that social competence is an important part of friendly relationships in the adolescence. Especially sensitivity to the needs of others, the ability to initiate and conduct an interview, verbal expression of the emotional state and the characteristics of friendship - help, security and proximity, are considered to be important qualities of a friendly relationship in adolescence. Social competence as a skill can be developed by intentional learning. Supporting the development of social competence through intervention programs offer space for self-identification, self- regulation, and empathy but also support for the ability to create good friendship and interpersonal relationships.

Keywords:

Social competence, quality of friendship, adolescence, intervention program.