Development
of “Prosocial” Behavior
•Pro-social behavior is the aspect of
moral
conduct that includes socially desirable
behaviors such as sharing, helping,
and cooperating.
•Pro-social behavior
in infancy: babies
cry
when they hear the crying of other babies
but not when they hear tape-recorded
crying ─ suggests at least a primitive level of global empathy
•Martin Hoffman traced
the development
of empathy
through four stages.
Sources: Hoffman, Martin (2000). Empathy and Moral Development: Implications for Caring
and Justice.
Cambridge University Press; Hoffman, Martin (1977). Moral internalization: current
theory and research. In L. Berkowitz, (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Psychology,
Vol. 10, New York: Academic Press; Hoffman,
Martin (1982). Development of prosocial motivation: empathy and guilt. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.) The Development of Prosocial Behavior.
New York: Academic Press. Slide arranged by Gordon Vessels, 2005.