ADD/ADHD Articles
Self-Management and Executive Functioning:
The Importance of Social and Interpersonal Competence
By Diane N. Roche, Ph.D.
The competent self-manager has many skills. Some of the most important skills have been termed executive functioning. Historically, this term has been a term that professionals studying the brain (e.g., Neuropsychologists, Neuropsychiatrists, and Neurologists) have used to describe problems in functioning related to certain deficient brain structures. However, the concept of executive functioning has recently garnered a great deal of attention in the popular press.1 Executive functioning refers to the mental activities that are used to self-regulate and direct one's actions. It refers to such skills as the ability to plan, organize time and space, initiate projects and see them through to completion, and resist immediate temptations in favor of better rewards that will come later.
The good self-manager performs well not only in the academic/intellectual area, but in the social/interpersonal realm.
At the Tarnow Center, we believe that executive functions are an important part of successful self-management. However, it is important to think about self-management in a broader way; we understand things from a biopsychosocial point of view that considers psychological and social factors in addition to biological factors. Competent self-management involves the culmination of behavioral inhibitions (stopping unproductive behaviors and persisting with productive behaviors), self-control, and executive functioning.
The good self-manager performs well not only in the academic/intellectual area, but in the social/interpersonal realm.
A successful life includes more than success in academics and work; it involves positive experience in all kinds of relationships. But, not everyone has this experience of success, especially if self-management skills are lacking. Self-management skills develop in the context of early attachment relationships; they are influenced by both biological factors and family/environmental factors. Throughout childhood, parents, teachers, and other adults provide support (in varying degrees at each developmental stage) to encourage the child's competence. An important part of this developing competence is learning how to have healthy interpersonal interactions with family members, peers, and authorities. Self-management competencies that impact relationships include the abilities to tolerate frustration; self-soothe; inhibit inappropriate behaviors; manage one's activity level; take responsibility; be flexible; have empathy for others; regulate emotions; monitor one's thoughts, feelings, and behavior; and establish and maintain social relationships. Interpersonal consequences of poor self-management can include frequent negative feedback and low self-esteem, and poor social relationships with family members and peers.
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At the Center, we evaluate where and how self-management is effective in one's life and how it is impaired, so that each individual can more effectively meet responsibilities, attain goals, and develop optimally. Among other things, a competent self-manager achieves emotional stability and displays competence in managing feelings and relationships.
Group therapy is an important component of treatment when your goals include becoming a good self-manager. Group treatment is especially relevant and effective when self-management deficits are related to interpersonal relationships. Participation in a group can help one learn to develop better social skills, tolerate interpersonal frustration, take responsibility, have empathy for others, and establish and maintain social relationships. In fact, group therapy can help with all of the competencies needed for successful interpersonal relationships – and more.
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For children and adolescents, group treatment may also be the treatment of choice for addressing self-management deficits which have not yet caused interpersonal problems. Children and adolescents are more inclined to hear feedback from peers and more likely to establish new habits if they have the opportunity to enact behaviors, practice skills, and give and receive feedback. Another important function of group therapy is to support the individual who has some deficits in self-management by helping them see that they are not alone and that others struggle with some of the same issues. Of course, in many cases, family and/or individual therapy may be needed as a supplement to group sessions, so that the patient and family can receive the maximum benefit from treatment.
In summary, if you or your child would like to become an effective self-manager in relationships and life, group therapy is recommended. It is impossible to underestimate the importance of relationships in each individual's life. Every context – school, work, family, and friendship – requires social and interpersonal self-management. Let us help your or your child tap into your relationship potential. Call the Tarnow Center for Self Management 713-621-9515 to find out more about Dr. Roche's groups, or other ongoing groups at the Center.
1 E.g., Saltus, Richard C. (2003). Lack direction? Evaluate your brain's C.E.O.. The New York Times.