Early Adolescence and Prosocial/Moral Behavior I: The Role of Individual Processes

Authors

Richard A. Fabes, Arizona State UniversityFollow
Gustavo Carlo, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Kristina Kupanoff, Arizona State University
Deborah Laible, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2-9-1999

Comments

Published in Journal of Early Adolescence, 19:1 (February 1999), pp. 5-16. Copyright © 1999 Sage Publications, Inc. Used by permission.

Abstract

In this introductory article, the purpose of the special issue on prosocial and moral development during early adolescence is presented. This issue is the first of two special issues and focuses on the role that individual processes play in influencing young adolescents’ prosocial and moral development. Presented also is a new meta-analysis of data on age and gender differences in prosocial behavior with particular focus on early adolescence. It was found that prosocial behavior during adolescence rarely has been studied, but that there are general increases in prosocial behavior during this time when compared with early age periods. Moreover, gender differences in prosocial behavior (favoring girls) increase during this time. A relatively short review of the individual mechanisms by which these changes occur follow. A call for more research and suggestions for future directions in this research also is provided.