- provide warm and supportive parenting;
- use positive discipline;
- present consistent messages.
- explain right from wrong, and.
- consider each child’s own personality and abilities in providing socialization experiences.
- A person donating money to charity, even though he/she receives no tangible benefit from doing so.
- Stopping to help a stranded motorist.
- A monkey grooming another monkey.
- A dog playing more gently with puppies than he/she does with adult dogs.
People often act to benefit other people, and these acts are examples of prosocial behavior. Such behaviors may come in many guises:
helping an individual in need; sharing personal resources; volunteering time, effort, and expertise; cooperating with others to achieve some common goals
.
Prosocial behavior is
acting in a positive direction toward someone else
. A kind word, sharing with a friend, helping others, or giving to others; these are all prosocial. Children tend to be very self-focused, so prosocial behaviors don’t always come naturally to them.
Prosocial behavior,
the ability for children to voluntarily act in a positive, accepting, helpful, and cooperative manner
, has been associated with many factors of well-being. … The development of prosocial behavior is complex as children have to balance their own needs and interests with the development of social bonds.
It is now clear that prosocial behavior of many different sorts appears in the second year of life, possibly earlier for some forms. In a growing number of studies, infants
between 12 and 24 months of age
have been shown to help, comfort, share, and cooperate with others.
- Provide feedback on progress towards reaching specific prosocial goals.
- Practice manners prior to going into the community.
- Explain rules and expectations of a new situation and give a reminder before that event.
- Use social stories to prepare individuals for new situations.
I will argue that within the general domain of prosocial behavior, other-oriented actions can be categorized into three distinct types (
helping, sharing, and comforting
) that reflect responses to three distinct negative states (instrumental need, unmet material desire, and emotional distress).
Personal benefits: Prosocial behaviors are often seen as being compelled by a number of factors including
egoistic reasons
(doing things to improve one’s self-image), reciprocal benefits (doing something nice for someone so that they may one day return the favor), and more altruistic reasons (performing actions purely …
For one, helping others feels good: it often leads to a positive mood and reduced stress. Over time, prosocial behavior is associated with
greater psychological well-being
, better social relationships, and better physical health, including greater longevity.
Naturally, developmental psychologists and other social scientists point to the animal world as proof that prosocial behavior is a
preprogrammed biological function of humanity
rather than solely nurtured or learned actions.
Prosocial behavior covers the broad range of actions intended to benefit one or more people other than oneself—actions such as helping, comforting, sharing, and cooperation. Altruism is
motivation to increase another person’s welfare
; it is contrasted to egoism, the motivation to increase one’s own welfare.
Prosocial lies, or
lies intended to benefit others
, are ubiquitous behaviors that have important social and economic consequences.
- Practicing Gratitude in the Classroom. Gratitude enhances the mood of the sender and the receiver. …
- Encouraging Random Acts of Kindness. …
- Building Empathy Through Happiness Boards.
Prosocial behavior
is contagious
. Studies show that people who see others act prosocially are more likely to do so themselves.
In this chapter, we define positive social behavior as
social competence with peers and adults, compliance with rules and adult direction
, and autonomy or self-reliance.
