Empathy, Prosocial-flow and Different Types of Prosocial Behaviors

RODRIGUEZ LUCAS MARCELO; MESURADO BELÉN

Austin

Congreso; Biennal Meeting Society for Research in Child Development; 2017

Society for Research in Child Development

Prosocial behaviors are voluntary actions that are intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals. Carlo and Randall propose, for their part, that prosocial behaviors (2002) are based on different types of motivations such as an intrinsic motivation or primary desire to benefit others. In contrast, other types of prosocial behaviors might be motivated by extrinsic processes or concerns (e.g., social approval). Moreover, most studies on prosocial behavior have focused on prosocial behavior toward strangers, despite evidence that children can aptly distinguish between the potential recipients of their helping behaviors (de Guzman et al. 2008), and engage in prosocial behavior toward family and friends more frequently than toward strangers (Eberly et al.1999). Padilla-Walker and colleagues have highlighted the importance of considering prosocial development within the context of relationships (2015). A recent study have shown parental support remembered, empathy and prosocial flow promote prosocial behavior toward different targets (Mesurado & Richaud, 2016).The study aims to analyse if parental variables, empathy and prosocial flow may foster or thwart different types of prosocial behavior (diffent target and different types of motivation).The results have shown that parental style remembered, empathy and prosocial flow are important predictors of prosocial behavior on different targets as family, friends and strangers. Moreover, these variables also play an important role to promote responsive prosocial behavior tendency and diminish public prosocial behavior tendency. However, this influence seems to be weaker in the prediction of other prosocial tendencies such as the altruism and anonymous.