Prosocial Development Flashcards
what is prosocial behaviour
an action that benefits other people
what is altruism
prosocial action that occurs at a net cost to the actor
what contributes to the problem of underlying motivation
Can be self-interest as much as the desire to benefit others, for example:
- expectation of adult approval
- fear that failure to help would be punished
- the hope that the recipient will eventually reciprocate the favour
- the expectation that one will feel pride and pleasure for having acted the way one did
what are the theories of prosocial development
- Trait Theory (dispositional as well as situational influences)
- Social Cognitive Theory (expectations of others, self-reactions linked to personal standards, self-efficacy beliefs for behaving prosocially)
- Cognitive-developmental Theory
what are the three stages of cognitive-development theory
- under 7 years – children are likely to share when it leads to a desired external outcome
- primary school children – more likely to be motivated by the welfare of others than their own welfare
- adolescence – universal principles of moral fairness “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”)
outline parental warmth and altruism
loving parents help reduce children’s preoccupations with their own needs; used noncontingently can create an atmosphere of self-indulgence which impedes consideration for others
age-appropriate demands ______
promote social competence
outline inductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning, particularly, victim-centered reasoning, promotes prosocialness
how can you increase altruism
Parents can strengthen altruistic tendencies, especially for young children, by acknowledging their behaviour and making person attributions
what is empathy, sympathy and personal distress
Empathy is “an affective reaction that stems from the apprehension or comprehension of another’s emotional state or condition, and that is identical or very similar to what the other person is feeling or would be expected to feel”
Sympathy - feelings of concern for others and a desire to alleviate their state
Outline empathy and it’s influnece of prosociality
inked to moral development, altruistic and prosocial behaviour, and social competence – low levels of externalizing – plays a role in in the inhibition of aggressive and antisocial behaviour toward others
- empathy with positive emotions is positively related to boys’ aggression, but empathy with negative emotions is negatively related to boys’ aggression- a focus on others’ good fortune reduces propensity to help others
what are the possible contribution of social influences
- Empathy development most likely to occur in families that satisfy the child’s own emotional needs and discourages excessive self-concern
- Encourages the expression of a broad range of emotions
- Can observe and interact with others who encourage emotional sensitivity and responsiveness
parental warmth
parental warmth/responsivity reflects parents’ tendencies to provide support, affection, sensitivity to the child’s needs, express approval and direct positive emotion towards the child
- Minimizes feelings of self concern, develops a sense of predictability and hence agency, and leaves room to consider the feelings of others
- Warmth/sensitivity is a critical component for the development of secure attachment
parental positive expressiveness
persistent pattern or style in exhibiting nonverbal and verbal expressions that often but not always appear to be emotion-related – boys are encouraged less than girls to be expressive
outline the research on girls and empathy
- Although girls were more empathic, showed greater expressivity, scored higher on social competence and lower in externalizing behaviour than boys
- the linkage between parenting variables and children’s (both boys and girls) empathy involved the same psychological variables