Friendships and Social Behavior

Abstract

This chapter discusses the scientific study of the social lives of mentally retarded individuals, particularly those who live and work in group settings. Social behavior and social relationships are central elements in all theories of human adaptation. By definition, mentally retarded individuals lack the adaptive behavior skills demonstrated by nonretarded agemates in their culture.1 One of the key questions we will address is: To what extent does social behavior contribute to the adaptive strategies and adaptive success of mentally retarded persons? Before exploring the available data sources, we need to acknowledge the complexities inherent in investigating social skills, social interactions, and social relationships. Social behavior is at once a correlate, cause, and consequence of many things. Moreover, social behavior is seldom constant over time or across settings, and alternative methods of inquiry often yield divergent pictures of the same individuals.2,3 Yet despite these fundamental problems, investigators have made important advances in our understanding of the social lives of retarded citizens. We will highlight these advances and propose a conceptual framework to guide further scientific exploration of social adaptation.