This paper examines the conceptual and empirical connections between competence and
psychopathology, two historically rich traditions for the study of adaptation in development, and
what might be gained from their integration. Historical roots of these two traditions are reviewed,
then overlaps in their definition are considered, with a focus on the ways in which judgments
about competence enter into the nosology of mental disorders. DSM-IV is analyzed from the
perspective of competence, and the debate about “harmful dysfunction” in
defining mental disorder is discussed in relation to competence. Different models explaining the
empirical associations of competence and psychopathology are delineated, and illustrative
empirical evidence is provided. Potential explanations include confounded concepts and
methods, symptoms undermining the effectiveness of adaptation in the environment, failures in
age-salient developmental tasks leading to emotional and behavioral problems, transactional
influences, shared vulnerability or risk factors producing both kinds of difficulties, and more
complex models. The potential benefits of integrating competence and psychopathology as two
major approaches to adaptation are discussed in regard to theory, classification of mental
disorder, research, and intervention.
Emotional and behavioral problems in infants and preschool children: prevalence and sociodemographic risk factors
