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Structural and proscessual determinants of Prosocial behaviors Guido Alessandri

Structural and proscessual determinants of Prosocial behaviors Guido Alessandri University of Rome “La Sapienza”. July 4, 2013. PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR - DEFINITION.

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Structural and proscessual determinants of Prosocial behaviors Guido Alessandri

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  1. Structural and proscessual determinants of Prosocial behaviors Guido Alessandri University of Rome “La Sapienza” July 4, 2013

  2. PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR - DEFINITION 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

  3. PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR – BENEFITS ALONG THE LIFE COURSE • 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).

  4. PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR – ORIGINS • Rearing practices • Social norms • Biology • Moral development • Emotional and social competence • Personal values

  5. TWO MAJOR DIRECTIONS OF RESEARCH √ The dispositionalapproach √ The social cognitive approach

  6. THE DISPOSITIONAL APPROACH The study of patterns of affect, cognition and behavior that result in stable behavioral tendencies and allow to distinguish people one from another.

  7. THE DISPOSITIONAL APPROACH Big Five model: a simple, comprehensive, system to describe and to classify main individual differences at the level of habitual behaviors. (McCrae & Costa, 1996; , Goldberg, 1993; John, 1990) • EXTRAVERSION /ENERGY • FRIENDLINESS/AGREEABLENESS • CONSCIENTIOUSNESS • NEUROTICISM/EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY • MENTAL OPENNESS

  8. Correlations Between Big Five And Prosocial Behavior BIG FIVEPROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR • ENERGY .28*** • AGREEABLENESS .55*** • CONSCIENTIOUSNESS .25** • EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY .02 • MENTAL OPENNESS .27***

  9. 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

  10. VALUES • 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

  11. 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”.

  12. 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”.

  13. SCHWARTZ ‘S VALUES SYSTEM (1992) SELF-TRASCENDENCE OPENNESS TO CHANGE Self- Universalism Direction Stimulation Benevolence Hedonism Conformity Tradition Achievement Security Power SELF-ENHANCEMENT CONSERVATION

  14. Correlations between Values and Prosocial Behavior VALUESPROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR • OPENNES TO CHANGE .16*** • CONSERVATION .11*** • SELF-TRASCENDENCE .53*** • SELF-ENHANCEMENT .02

  15. THE SOCIAL COGNITIVE APPROACH HUMAN AGENCY 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

  16. SELF- REFLECTIVENESS SELF- REACTIVENESS FORETHOUGHT INTENTIONALITY It is a major feature of human agency that corresponds to the propensity to prioritize goals and to accord behaviors to one’s priorities INTENTIONALITY

  17. SELF- REFLECTIVENESS People evaluate their motivation,values, the meaning of their life pursuits and the effectiveness of their actions. FORETHOUGHT 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 People set goals for themselves and anticipate the likely consequences of prospective actions

  18. PROSOCIAL AGENCY Self-efficacy Beliefs Values

  19. SELF - EFFICACY BELIEFS People undertake activities and persevere in the face of difficulties only if they believe they are able to produce desired results

  20. SELF - EFFICACY BELIEFS Influence motivation determining: • Objectives • Efforts • Perseverance in the face of difficulties • Reactions in face of failures

  21. A CONCEPTUAL MODEL Prosocial behavior Values Self-efficacy beliefs Traits

  22. RESEARCH FINDINGS

  23. The scale ofProsocialBehavior • 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

  24. MAJOR DETERMINANTS OF PROSOCIAL AGENCY • AGREEABLENESS: dispositions to be cooperative and collaborative with others • SELF-TRASCENDENCE: values emphasizing acceptance of others and concern for their wellness • 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

  25. STUDY 1 – Processual determinants of Prosociality Alessandri, Caprara, Eisenberg, & Steca (2009). Reciprocal relations among self-efficacy beliefs and prosociality across time. Journal of Personality, 77, 1229-1259

  26. Determinants of prosocial behavior during the transition to adulthood (age 17) (age 19) (age 20) .47 (.50) .40 (.40) Self Efficacy Negative Affect Self Efficacy Negative Affect Self Efficacy Negative Affect .20 (.16) .32 (.40) .20 (.24) .42 (.44) .47 (.47) Self Efficacy Positive Affect .56 (.64) Self Efficacy Positive Affect Self Efficacy Positive Affect .15 (.18) .21 (.21) .63 (.50) .29 (.28) .25 (.27) .11 (.12) .27 (.26) .25 (.19) .08 (.11) .53 (.69) .38 (.46) .55 (.56) .43 (.52) .22 (.24) Empathic Self Efficacy .23 (.21) Empathic Self Efficacy Empathic Self Efficacy .15 (.16) .31 (.29) .17 (.12) .25 (.32) .13 (.22) .12 (.12) .25 (.26) .20 (.19) .34 (.37) .25 (.25) .61 (.66) Prosocial Behavior .40 (.39) .50 (.49) Prosocial Behavior Prosocial Behavior First path coefficients are for boys, coefficients in parentheses are for girls. All paths are significant ( p<.05) χ2 (94) = 115.34, p <.07, CFI = .991, TLI = .988, RMSEA = .031 (.00 - .049)

  27. 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

  28. Agreeableness, empathic self-efficacy and prosocial behavior from age 17 to age 19 T1 Agreeableness T2 Agreeableness R2=.20 (.31) .44 (.56) .18 (.22) .12 (.17) .30 (.15) T1 Empathic Self-efficacy T2 Empathic Self-efficacy R2=.24 (.11) .44 (.26) .42 (.33) .16 (.23) .34 (.16) .17 (.10) .38 (.43) .57 (.36) T1 Prosociality T2 Prosociality R2=.21 (.21) .25 (.29) χ2 (gdl=12,N=377) = 17.32, p <.14, CFI = .99, TLI =.978 RMSEA = .049 (00 - .097)

  29. 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.

  30. Agreeableness T1 Agreeableness T2 R2=.71(.65) Agreeableness, self-trascendecnce empathic self-efficacy and prosocial behavior from age 21 to age 26 .84 (.80) .24 (21) .68 (.64) .19 (.20) .60 (.44) Self Transcendence T1 Self Transcendence T2 R2=.48 (.43) .55 (.51) .33 (.27) .07(.07) .64 (.61) .58 (.54) .73 (.67) .20 (.19) .23 (.11) .55 (.58) .52 (.45) Empathic Self-efficacy T1 Empathic Self-efficacy T2 R2=.33 (.36) .44 (.47) .16 (.15) .69 (.67) .44 (.47) .15 (.17) Prosociality T2 R2=.58 (.57) Prosociality T1 .65 (.63) χ2(45) = 51.86, p =.20, CFI = 1.00, TLI =.99, RMSEA =.030 (.00 -.061) .47 (.46) .95 (.91) Self Peer

  31. 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

  32. Thank you for attention! guido.alessandri@uniroma1.it

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