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Children’s Moral Motivation, Sympathy, and Prosocial Behavior
Author(s) -
Malti Tina,
Gummerum Michaela,
Keller Monika,
Buchmann Marlis
Publication year - 2009
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/j.1467-8624.2009.01271.x
Subject(s) - sympathy , prosocial behavior , psychology , attribution , moral development , moral disengagement , social psychology , developmental psychology , internalism and externalism , moral reasoning , social cognitive theory of morality , philosophy , epistemology
Two studies investigated the role of children’s moral motivation and sympathy in prosocial behavior. Study 1 measured other‐reported prosocial behavior and self‐ and other‐reported sympathy. Moral motivation was assessed by emotion attributions and moral reasoning following hypothetical transgressions in a representative longitudinal sample of Swiss 6‐year‐old children ( N = 1,273). Prosocial behavior increased with increasing sympathy, especially if children displayed low moral motivation. Moral motivation and sympathy were also independently related to prosocial behavior. Study 2 extended the findings of Study 1 with a second longitudinal sample of Swiss 6‐year‐old children ( N = 175) using supplementary measures of prosocial behavior, sympathy, and moral motivation. The results are discussed in regard to the precursors of the moral self in childhood.