Children's Moral Motivation, Sympathy, and Prosocial Behavior

Two studies investigated the role of children's moral motivation and sympathy in prosocial behavior. Study 1 measured other-reported prosocial behavior and self- and other-reported sympathy. Moral motivation was assessed by emotion attributions and moral reasoning following hypothetical transgr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child development 2009-03, Vol.80 (2), p.442-460
Main Authors: Malti, Tina, Gummerum, Michaela, Keller, Monika, Buchmann, Marlis
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altruism
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Caregivers
Child
Child Behavior
Child Development
Childhood
Children
Children & youth
Correlation
Developmental psychology
Emotional Response
Emotions
Empathy
Empirical Articles
Family studies
Female
Foreign Countries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Kindergarten teachers
Logical Thinking
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Moral aspects
Moral development
Moral judgment
Moral Values
Morality
Morals
Mothers
Motivation
Motivation research
Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behaviour
Psychological Patterns
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Self
Sex Factors
Social behaviour
Social Values
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Switzerland
Sympathy
Young Children
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Summary:Two studies investigated the role of children's moral motivation and sympathy in prosocial behavior. Study 1 measured other-reported prosocial behavior and self- and other-reported sympathy. Moral motivation was assessed by emotion attributions and moral reasoning following hypothetical transgressions in a representative longitudinal sample of Swiss 6-year-old children (N = 1,273). Prosocial behavior increased with increasing sympathy, especially if children displayed low moral motivation. Moral motivation and sympathy were also independently related to prosocial behavior. Study 2 extended the findings of Study 1 with a second longitudinal sample of Swiss 6-year-old children (N = 175) using supplementary measures of prosocial behavior, sympathy, and moral motivation. The results are discussed in regard to the precursors of the moral self in childhood.
ISSN:0009-3920
1467-8624
DOI:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01271.x