The Roots Of Prosocial Behavior In Children

What kinds of childbearing practices foster the development of helping, sharing, and other prosocial behaviours? What roles do biology and culture play in the development of prosocial behaviour? In this book, Nancy Eisenberg and Paul Mussen review and summarize scholarly research that has been devoted to the development of prosocial behaviour in children, and examine the variety of influences that contribute to children's prosocial development, including the media, parents, peers, biology, culture, personal characteristics, as well as situational determinants. The authors argue that prosocial behaviour can be learned and is modifiable, and they suggest ways that parents, teachers, and other can enhance prosocial development. In addition, the authors attempt to communicate the advances in the study of prosocial development that have taken place over the last decade. The book highlights some questions that have not yet been addressed adequately by researchers, and suggests areas for future work.

This book was inspired by an intimate, stimulating, intellectually enrich ing conference that took place in Poland. However, the book is not a conference report. Rather, at the time of the conference, participants agreed that it would be worthwhile to create a volume representing the international state of knowledge in pro social behavior, and many of them agreed to write chapters. This volume is the outcome. The book contains chapters by outstanding researchers and scholars who have made substantial contributions to some aspect of scholarship about pro social behavior-helpfulness, generosity, kindness, coopera tion, or other behavior that benefits people. The book concerns itself with how prosocial behavior comes about and what influences contrib ute to or inhibit it; how prosocial behavior, or values and other personal characteristics that promote prosocial behavior, develop; how socializa tion, peer interaction, and other experiences contribute to development; and with the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of re ceiving help. Some chapters directly, and a number of them implicitly, concern themselves with applications of knowledge about prosocial be havior, particularly with the question of how cooperation and behavior that benefits other people can be promoted. The purpose of the book is. in part to show where the field stands and what knowledge we have accumulated, and in part to suggest fu ture directions and advance the field. It is a truly international book, with contributors from most countries where research on pro social be havior is being conducted.

Developmental Psychology Series: The Development of Prosocial Behavior focuses on the advancement of techniques, methodologies, and approaches involved in studies on prosocial behavior, including moral reasoning and judgment, altruism, liberalism, and conservatism. The publication first elaborates on the general conceptual and theoretical issues in the study of prosocial and altruistic behavior; early development and socialization of prosocial behavior; and the relationship between prosocial behavior and moral reasoning. The text then takes a look at the generality of altruism in children, social learning theory and development of prosocial behavior, and the development of altruism. Discussions focus on directions for research on prosocial behaviors; research findings and interpretations on the early forms of altruism; social learning of prosocial behavior and moral judgment; and generality of prosocial behavior. The manuscript examines personality development and liberal sociopolitical attitudes, development of prosocial motivation, and the effects of mood on prosocial behavior in children and adults. Topics include motivational mechanisms of prosocial acts, dialectics of development, antecedents of liberalism and conservatism in adults, and personality and socialization in relation to adolescents' political orientations. The book is a dependable source of data for researchers interested in the development of prosocial behavior.

"The Oxford Handbook of Prosocial Behavior provides a comprehensive review of the current literature contributing to our understanding of when and why people act to benefit others. The field of prosocial behavior encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, ranging from dyadic helping in emergencies, planned helping, volunteerism, and cooperation within and between groups. Taking a multi-level approach, the chapters explore the basic underlying evolutionary, developmental, emotional, cognitive, personality, and social psychological processes that set the stage for and motivate prosocial actions. Consideration is also given to applications to such real-world situations as the encouragement of pro-environmental behavior, the recruitment of participants for medical clinical trials, and the reduction of ethnic conflict and promotion of world peace"--Publisher.

Written by four leading researchers in the study of prosocial behavior, this book introduces a new perspective on prosocial behavior for the 21st century. Building on the bystander intervention work that has defined this area since the 1960s, The Social Psychology of Prosocial Behavior examines prosocial behavior from a multilevel perspective that explores the diverse influences that promote actions for the benefit of others and the myriad ways that prosocial actions can be manifested. The authors expand the breadth of the field, incorporating analyses of biological and genetic factors that predispose individuals to be concerned for the well being of others, as well as planned helping such as volunteering and organizational citizenship behavior and cooperative behavior within and between groups. They identify both the common and the unique processes that underlie the broad spectrum of prosocial behavior. Each chapter begins with a question about prosocial behavior and ends with a summary that answers the question. The final chapter summarizes the questions and the answers that research provides. Conceptual models that elaborate on and extend the multilevel approach to prosocial behavior are used to tie these findings together. The book concludes with suggestions for future research. The Social Psychology of Prosocial Behavior addresses the following: *the evolution of altruistic tendencies and other biological explanations of why humans are predisposed to be prosocial; *how the situation and motives that are elicited by these situations affect when and how people help; *the causes and maintenance of long-term helping, such as volunteering; *how prosocial behavior changes over time and the developmental processes responsible for these changes; *the consequences of helping for both the people who provide it and those who receive it; *helping and cooperation within and between groups and the implications of these actions. This accessible text is ideal for advanced courses on helping and altruism or prosocial behavior, taught in psychology, sociology, management, political science, and communication, or for anyone interested in learning more about prosocial behavior in general.

This book discusses the nature of cooperation, altruism and prosocial behaviour, and the factors that make their occurrence more likely.

This open access book brings together discourse on children and peace from the 15th International Symposium on the Contributions of Psychology to Peace, covering issues pertinent to children and peace and approaches to making their world safer, fairer and more sustainable. The book is divided into nine sections that examine traditional themes (social construction and deconstruction of diversity, intergenerational transitions and memories of war, and multiculturalism), as well as contemporary issues such as Europe’s “migration crisis”, radicalization and violent extremism, and violence in families, schools and communities. Chapters contextualize each issue within specific social ecological frameworks in order to reflect on the multiplicity of influences that affect different outcomes and to discuss how the findings can be applied in different contexts. The volume also provides solutions and hope through its focus on youth empowerment and peacebuilding programs for children and families. This forward-thinking volume offers a multitude of views, approaches, and strategies for research and activism drawn from peace psychology scholars and United Nations researchers and practitioners. This book's multi-layered emphasis on context, structural determinants of peace and conflict, and use of research for action towards social cohesion for children and youth has not been brought together in other peace psychology literature to the same extent. Children and Peace: From Research to Action will be a useful resource for peace psychology academics and students, as well as social and developmental psychology academics and students, peace and development practitioners and activists, policy makers who need to make decisions about the matters covered in the book, child rights advocates and members of multilateral organizations such as the UN.