This chapter examines various psychological approaches that have sought to understand and conceptualize social competence and social skills. We explore several theoretical models that attempt to define the key notions surrounding this competence, highlighting the distinction between social skills, which are observable and acquired, and social competence, which is more global and multidimensional. These models provide frameworks for analyzing social adaptation, performance in specific tasks, and social skills, while considering contextual influences and the evaluation by others in assessing social effectiveness.