Age Changes in Prosocial Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and Early Adulthood

Abstract

Age changes' measures of prosocial responding and reasoning were examined. Participants' reports of helping, empathy-related responding, and prosocial moral reasoning were obtained in adolescence (from age 15-16 years) and into adulthood (to age 25-26 years). Perspective taking and approval/interpersonal oriented/stereotypic prosocial moral reasoning increased from adolescence into adulthood, whereas personal distress declined. Helping declined and then increased (a cubic trend). Prosocial moral judgment composite scores (and self-reflective empathic reasoning) generally increased from late adolescence into the early 20s (age 17-18 to 21-22) but either leveled off or declined slightly thereafter (i.e., showed linear and cubic trends); rudimentary needs-oriented reasoning showed the reverse pattern of change. The increase in self-reflective empathic moral reasoning was for females only. Thus, perspective taking and some aspects of prosocial moral reasoning-capacities with a strong sociocognitive basis-showed the clearest increases with age, whereas simple prosocial proclivities (i.e., helping, sympathy) did not increase with age.

The Longitudinal Relationship Between Media Violence and Empathy: Was It Sympathy All Along?

“…In practice, these findings indicate that teens, who consume greater amounts of media violence over time, feel less concern for people in distress. Considering that sympathy is associated with moral judgment (Eisenberg, Cumberland, Guthrie, Murphy, & Shepard, 2005), prosocial behavior (Malti, Gummerum, Keller, & Buchmann, 2009), constructive social behavior, and low negative emotionality (Murphy, Shepard, Eisenberg, Fabes, & Guthrie, 1999), it is critical that we understand both when mediated environmental influences can weaken sympathy as well as ways to reduce this harm. NOTES 1.…”

Examining moral thinking of adolescents through intermediate concepts

“…U istraživanje su uključeni adolescenti zbog toga što se u periodu adolescencije menjaju veštine vezane za domen moralnosti, kao što su mogućnost rešavanja problema, sposobnost razumevanja aspekata drugih ljudi, razumevanje sebe, itd. (Eisenberg et al, 2005). Još jedna karakteristika perioda adolescencije jeste brzina kojom se navedene promene dešavaju, kao i priroda tih promena.…”

Relación entre conductas prosociales y participación en grupos online en jóvenes con discapacidad motora

“…De acuerdo con la literatura relevante (Eisenberg, Cumberland, Guthrie, Murphy y Shepard, 2005;Eisenberg et al, 2002;Eisenberg, Zhou y Koller, 2001), la orientación prosocial parece ser una marca de la entrada en la madurez adulta, desarrollándose tanto en adolescentes como por jóvenes y culminando con la madurez. Esto es debido, en parte, a la madurez cognitiva que propicia el desarrollo de la empatía, del razonamiento moral, prosocial y de la capacidad de comprender los estados internos y externos de los demás (Eisenberg et al, 2005).…”

“…Esto es debido, en parte, a la madurez cognitiva que propicia el desarrollo de la empatía, del razonamiento moral, prosocial y de la capacidad de comprender los estados internos y externos de los demás (Eisenberg et al, 2005).…”