Social adjustment
is a broad construct that is defined and measured in a variety of ways across studies (Xxxxxx, 1990; Xxxxx & Dodge, 1994). For Xxxxx and Dodge, who have focused much of their research on children, social adjustment is defined as “the degree to which children get along with their peers; the degree to which they engage in adaptive, competent social behavior; and the extent to which they inhibit aversive, incompetent behavior” (p. 82). Similarly, Xxxxxx (1990) conceptualizes social adjustment as the degree to which one achieves goals that are sanctioned by society, and suggests that it can be measured in terms of “social (e.g., peer status), emotional (e.g., self- concept, others’ global judgments), familial (e.g., make-up, degree of cohesion), and relational (e.g., quality of friendships, dating frequency)” outcomes (p. 118). For Xxxxxx, who has articulated one of the most cogent definitions of social adjustment, the construct includes, most importantly, “value-laden indicators of age-appropriate achievements” (p. 117), and is distinct from the related construct of social skills (e.g., emotion recognition skill). Thus, although specific indices of social adjustment can (and do) vary across studies, most researchers seem to be concerned with the degree to which individuals attain goals that are considered to be important, and developmentally-appropriate, in the greater social world. When considering the developmental tasks that young college students face, the formation and maintenance of relationships with peers is certainly among the most important (Xxxxxx & Xxxxxxx, 1999; Roisman, Masten, Coatsworth, & Tellegen, 2004).
