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The Motivational Foundations of Prosocial Behavior From A Developmental Perspective–Evolutionary Roots and Key Psychological Mechanisms: Introduction to the Special Section
Author(s) -
Davidov Maayan,
Vaish Amrisha,
KnafoNoam Ariel,
Hastings Paul D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12639
Subject(s) - prosocial behavior , psychology , empathy , interdependence , perspective (graphical) , helping behavior , nature versus nurture , personal distress , perspective taking , social psychology , altruism (biology) , key (lock) , developmental psychology , cognitive psychology , sociology , social science , artificial intelligence , computer science , anthropology , ecology , biology
Prosocial behavior is versatile, multifaceted, and complex. This special section seeks to advance coherent, integrative understanding of prosocial development by addressing this topic through the prism of motivations. This conceptual Introduction presents key ideas that provide a framework for thinking about motivation for prosocial behavior and its development. It outlines the evolutionary roots of prosocial behavior, underscoring the interdependent roles of nature and nurture. This is followed by a discussion of several key psychological mechanisms reflecting different motivations for prosocial action (empathy for a distressed other, concern about another's goal, desire to act in accordance with internalized prosocial norms, and guilt). We discuss the critical components of each motivation and highlight pertinent contributions of the special section articles.