Developmental Change in Social Responsibility During Adolescence: An Ecological Perspective

• Published in: Developmental psychology 2016-01, Vol.52 (1), p.130-142
• Main Authors: Wray-Lake, Laura, Syvertsen, Amy K., Flanagan, Constance A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Adolescents; Age Differences; Aging; Assets; Attitude Change; Beliefs; Change agents; Child; Child development; Commitment; Communities; Community involvement; Community Relations; Correlation; Democratic Values; Demography; Developmental psychology; Developmental Stages; Developmental Tasks; Ecology; Elementary School Students; Factor Analysis; Family; Family Influence; Female; Friendship; High School Students; Human; Humans; Individual differences; Interpersonal Relations; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Measures (Individuals); Middle School Students; Peer Group; Peers; Prediction; Prosocial behavior; Research Design; Residence Characteristics; Rural communities; Rural Schools; Schools; Secondary schools; Social Behavior; Social cohesion; Social development; Social Responsibility; Social sciences; Social Values; Statistical Analysis; Sympathy; Trust (Psychology); United States; United States (Midwest); United States (Northeast); Values; Volunteers
• ISSN: 0012-1649; 1939-0599
• DOI: 10.1037/dev0000067

Social responsibility can be defined as a set of prosocial values representing personal commitments to contribute to community and society. Little is known about developmental change-and predictors of that change-in social responsibility during adolescence. The present study used an accelerated longitudinal research design to investigate the developmental trajectory of social responsibility values and ecological assets across family, school, community, and peer settings that predict these values. Data come from a 3-year study of 3,683 U.S. adolescents enrolled in upper-level elementary, middle, and high schools in rural, semiurban, and urban communities. Social responsibility values significantly decreased from age 9 to 16 before leveling off in later adolescence. Family compassion messages and democratic climate, school solidarity, community connectedness, and trusted friendship, positively predicted within-person change in adolescents' social responsibility values. These findings held after accounting for other individual-level and demographic factors and provide support for the role of ecological assets in adolescents' social responsibility development. In addition, fair society beliefs and volunteer experience had positive between- and within-person associations with social responsibility values. The manuscript discusses theoretical and practical implications of the conclusion that declines in ecological assets may partly explain age-related declines in social responsibility values.