Structural and proscessual determinants of Prosocial behaviors

Guido Alessandri

University of Rome “La Sapienza”

July 4, 2013

Prosocial behavior refers to individual tendency to undertake voluntary actions aimed at benefiting

others, such as sharing, donating, caring, comforting, and helping

(Eisenberg & Fabes, 1998; Penner, Dovidio, Piliavin, & Schroeder, 2005)

BENEFITS FOR THE TARGETS OF PROSOCIAL ACTIONS

BENEFITS FOT THE BENEFACTORS

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR - DEFINITION

Early prosocial behavior contributes to accomplishments in social and academic domains and in warding off depression and transgressive behavior in children and adolescents (Bandura, Caprara, Barbaranelli, Pastorelli, & Regalia, 2001; Bandura, Pastorelli, Barbaranelli, & Caprara, 1999; Caprara, Barbaranelli, Pastorelli, Bandura, & Zimbardo, 2000).

In adulthood prosocial behavior foster self-enhancement, self-acceptance and successful psychosocial adaptation, as it promotes one’s own integration in the community, positive mood, staying healthy, and life satisfaction (Caprara & Steca, 2005; Keyes, 1999; Oman, Thoresen, & McMahon, 1999; Piliavin, 2003; Van Willigen, 2000; Young & Glasgow, 1998).

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR – BENEFITS ALONG THE LIFE COURSE

• Rearing practices • Social norms

• Biology• Moral development • Emotional and social competence • Personal values

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR – ORIGINS

TWO MAJOR DIRECTIONS OF RESEARCH

√ The dispositional approach √ The social cognitive approach

The study of patterns of affect, cognition and behavior that result in stable behavioral tendencies and

allow to distinguish people one from another.

THE DISPOSITIONAL APPROACH

Big Five model:

a simple, comprehensive, system to describe and to classify main individual differences at the level of habitual

behaviors.

EXTRAVERSION /ENERGYFRIENDLINESS/AGREEABLENESS

CONSCIENTIOUSNESSNEUROTICISM/EMOTIONAL

INSTABILITYMENTAL OPENNESS

(McCrae & Costa, 1996; , Goldberg, 1993; John, 1990)

THE DISPOSITIONAL APPROACH

BIG FIVE PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR ENERGY .28*** AGREEABLENESS .55*** CONSCIENTIOUSNESS .25** EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY .02 MENTAL OPENNESS .27***

Correlations Between Big Five And Prosocial Behavior

Pros and Cons Traits account for major individual

differences in stable patterns of affect, cognition and action

Yet, one can’t fully account for personality functioning without

addressing, along with structures, the processes that allow personality to function as a self-referent and self-

regulatory system

The big five model leaves out evaluative terms, and broadly

speaking, leaves out all values relateddimensions (i.e., there is

no place in the big five model for things like “spirituality”)

Values are general beliefs about priorities in life and what is

desirable.

Values provide the reference system that sets and guides

personal concerns and standards that people adopt to select

activities and to evaluate their behaviors

VALUES

POWER: “He likes to be in charge and tell others what to do. He wants people to do what he says”.

ACHIEVEMENT: “Being very successful is important to him. He likes to stand out and to impress other people”.

HEDOMISM: “He really wants to enjoy life. Having a good time is very important to him”.

STIMULATION: “He looks for adventures and likes to take risks. He wants to have an exciting life”.

SELF-DIRECTION: “He thinks it’s important to be interested in things. He is curios and tries to understand everything”.

UNIVERSALISM: “He thinks it is important that every person in the world should be treated equally. He wants justice for everybody, even for people he doesn’t know”.

BENEVOLENCE: “He always wants to help the people who are close to him. It’s very important to him to care for the people he knows and likes”.

TRADITION: “He thinks it is important to do things the way he learned from her family. He wants to follow their customs and traditions”.

CONFORMITY: “He believes that people should do what they’re told. He thinks people should follow rules at all times, even when no one is watching”.

SECURITY: “The safety of his country is very important to him. He wants his country to be safe from its enemies”.

SCHWARTZ ‘S VALUES SYSTEM (1992)

SELF-TRASCENDENCE OPENNESSTO CHANGE Self- Universalism Direction

Stimulation Benevolence Hedonism Conformity Tradition  Achievement Security 

PowerSELF-ENHANCEMENT CONSERVATION  

VALUES PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR

OPENNES TO CHANGE .16*** CONSERVATION .11*** SELF-TRASCENDENCE .53*** SELF-ENHANCEMENT .02

Correlations between Values and Prosocial Behavior

People are active agents socially situated, who contribute to the

nature and the quality of their own life by shaping appropriate course of action in accordance with goals and

personal standards

HUMAN AGENCY

THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE APPROACH

SELF-REFLECTIVENESS

FORETHOUGHT

SELF-REACTIVENESS

INTENTIONALITYIt is a major feature of human agency that

corresponds to the propensity to prioritize goals and to accord behaviors to one’s priorities

INTENTIONALITY

SELF-REFLECTIVENESS

People evaluate their motivation,values, the meaning of their life pursuits and the effectiveness of their actions.

SELF-REACTIVENESS

People do things that give them self-satisfaction and a sense of pride and self-worth, and refrain from behaving in ways that give

rise to self-dissatisfaction,self-devaluation and self-censure

FORETHOUGHT

People set goals for themselves and anticipate the likely consequences of prospective actions

Self-efficacy Beliefs

Values

PROSOCIAL AGENCY

People undertake activities and persevere in the face of difficulties only if they believe they are able

to produce desired results

SELF - EFFICACY BELIEFS

Influence motivation determining:Objectives

Efforts

Perseverance in the face of difficulties

Reactions in face of failures

SELF - EFFICACY BELIEFS

A CONCEPTUAL MODEL

Prosocial behavior

ValuesTraits Self-efficacy beliefs

RESEARCH FINDINGS

I am pleased to help my classmates/colleagues in their activities I share the things that I have with my friends I try to help others I am available for volunteer activities to help those who are in

need I am emphatic with those who are in need I help immediately those who are in need I do what I can to help others avoid getting into trouble I intensely feel what others feel I am willing to make my knowledge and abilities available to

others I try to console those who are sad I easily lend money or other things I easily put myself in the shoes of those who are in discomfort I try to be close to and take care of those who are in need I easily share with friends any good opportunity that comes to

me I spend time with those friends who feel lonely I to me immediately sense my friends’ discomfort even when it

is not directly communicated Caprara G.V., Steca, P., Zelli, A., & Capanna, C., (2005). A new scale for

measuring adults’prosocialness. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 21, 77-89.

Alpha=.93; Interinformant agreement (self-others)=.50

The scale of Prosocial Behavior

AFFECTIVE REGULATORY AND SOCIAL, EMPATHIC SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS: beliefs to be able to manage affects, relations with others and to be empathetic with others’ feelings

SELF-TRASCENDENCE: values emphasizing acceptance of others and concern for their wellness

AGREEABLENESS: dispositions to be cooperative and collaborative with others

MAJOR DETERMINANTS OF PROSOCIAL AGENCY

Alessandri, Caprara, Eisenberg, & Steca (2009). Reciprocal relations among self-efficacy beliefs and prosociality across time. Journal of Personality, 77, 1229-1259

STUDY 1 – Processual determinants of Prosociality

.47 (.50)

ProsocialBehavior

Self Efficacy Negative

AffectSelf Efficacy

Negative Affect

Self Efficacy Positive

Affect

EmpathicSelf Efficacy

Self Efficacy Negative

Affect

Self Efficacy Positive

Affect

EmpathicSelf Efficacy

Self Efficacy Positive

Affect

EmpathicSelf Efficacy

.40 (.40)

.56 (.64)

.22 (.24)

.40 (.39)

.25 (.27).27 (.26)

.25 (.26)

.47 (.47)

.23 (.21)

.50 (.49)

.31 (.29)

.20 (.19)

.15 (.18)

.20 (.16)

.12 (.12)

.25 (.19)

.63

(.50)

.53

(.69)

.61

(.66)

.42

(.44)

.43

(.52)

.55

(.56)

.08

(.11)

.21

(.21)

.34

(.37)

.20

(.24)

.17

(.12)

.13

(.22)

.38

(.46) .2

9 (.2

8)

.25

(.25)

.32

(.40)

.25

(.32)

.15

(.16)

.11 (.12)

ProsocialBehavior Prosocial

Behavior

(age 17) (age 19) (age 20)

First path coefficients are for boys, coefficients in parentheses are for girls. All paths are significant ( p<.05)

Determinants of prosocial behavior during the transition to adulthood

χ2 (94) = 115.34, p <.07, CFI = .991, TLI = .988, RMSEA = .031 (.00 - .049)

STUDY 2 – Structural (i.e., trait agreaableness) and Processual deteminats of Prosociality

Caprara, Alessandri, Panerai, & Eisenberg, (2010). The contribution of agreaableness and self-esfficacy beliefs to prosociaity. European Journal of Personality, 55, 36-55

T1Prosociality

T1Agreeableness

T2Agreeableness

R2=.20 (.31)

T2Empathic

Self-efficacyR2=.24 (.11)

T2Prosociality

R2=.21 (.21)

T1Empathic

Self-efficacy

.25 (.29)

.17 (.10)

.16 (.23)

.44 (.56)

.44 (.26)

.12 (.17)

.42

(.33)

.57

(.36)

.30

(.15)

.34

(.16)

.18

(.22)

.38

(.43)

χ2 (gdl=12,N=377) = 17.32, p <.14, CFI = .99, TLI =.978 RMSEA = .049 (00 - .097)

Agreeableness, empathic self-efficacy and prosocial behavior

from age 17 to age 19

STUDY 3 – Testing the full model

Caprara, Alessandri, & Eisenberg, (In press). Prosociality: The contribution of traits, values and self-efficacy beliefs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011.

ProsocialityT1

ProsocialityT2

R2=.58 (.57)

SelfTranscendence

T2R2=.48 (.43)

AgreeablenessT2

R2=.71(.65)

EmpathicSelf-efficacy

T1

SelfTranscendence

T1

AgreeablenessT1

EmpathicSelf-efficacy

T2R2=.33 (.36)

.58

(.54)

.84 (.80)

.44 (.47)

.19 (.20)

.55 (.51)

.20 (.19)

.15 (.17)

.65 (.63)

.60 (.44).68

(.64)

.64

(.61)

.55

(.58)

.69

(.67)

.33 (.27)

.73 (.67)

.23 (.11).44 (.47)

Peer Self.47 (.46) .95 (.91)

.52 (.45)

.24 (2

1)

.07(.07)

.16 (.15)

χ2(45) = 51.86, p =.20, CFI = 1.00, TLI =.99, RMSEA =.030 (.00 -.061)

Agreeableness, self-trascendecnce empathic self-efficacy and prosocial behavior

from age 21 to age 26

CONCLUSIONS

Findings may guide interventions aimed at promoting behavioral tendencies that over the entire course of life, while benefiting others, may carry other’s recognition and be conducive to self-actualization and successful adaptation

Thank you for attention!

guido.alessandri@uniroma1.it