Outline: Eisenbergs Theory of Prosocial Moral Development Marie Mendoza & Anne Tiongco Nancy Eisenberg1.

Received her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley 2. Is currently a regents professor at Arizona State University 3. She was the President of the Western Psychological Association and is the president-elect of Division 7 (Developmental Psychology) o American Psychological Association 4. Research interests includes: Emotion-related regulation, moral and emotional development, altruism, empathy, and developmental psychopathology. Model of Prosocial Moral Reasoning An emotional response is turned into empathic concern when the child understands the distress of the other and feels concern for them. o Childrens reasoning about prosocial moral conflicts is ordered into five developmental stages or orientations, with each stage involving a more advanced cognitive structure of social concepts than the prior stages. o Young children can reason about their own prosocial behavior and experience empathy with other peoples feelings. Method of Research Eisenberg and her colleagues explored the moral development of children and adolescents by presenting them with moral dilemmas which they have to take the role of, and act either out of self-interest or in the interest of others. Definition of Important Terms

1. Prosocial Moral Reasoning The thinking that

occurs when deciding whether to help, share with, or comfort others when these actions could prove costly to themselves 2. Prosocial Behavior actions that intentionally benefit another regardless of motive 3. Altruistic Behavior voluntary actions aimed to benefit another and are not motivated by desire to obtain external reward 4. Empathy vs. Sympathy a. Empathy: A child views a sad person and consequently feels sad b. Sympathy: A girl sees a sad peer and feels concern for the peer Five stages/Levels of Prosocial Moral Reasoning Stage/Level Reasoning Age 1. (a) Hedonistic gain to the Preschoolers Hedonistic/Selfself - orientation to gain and early Centered for oneself elementaryReasoning school (b) direct reciprocity children, orientation to personal gain because of direct reciprocity or lack of reciprocity from the recipient of an act. c) Affectional relationship -orientation to the individuals identification/relationship with another 2. Needs Helping is based on Some Oriented physical, material, or preschoolers Reasoning psychological needs of and many the other person school-aged children 3. ApprovalDoing what is Some Oriented stereotypically perceived school-aged

Reasoning 4. Emphatic Reasoning

4.5 Transitional Reasoning

5. Internalized Reasoning

to be good by others to gain approval (material or emotional) Reasoning with the use of role-taking and empathy. There is awareness of the emotional consequences of helping (feeling good) or not helping (guilt). Justifications for actions involve internalized values (e.g., concern for others' rights, protecting dignity). The ideas are not clearly thought out or strongly stated. Internalized affect because of gain (loss) of self-respect because of living up (not living up) to ones values a) Positive - orientation to feeling good, often about oneself, as a consequence of living up to internalized value b) Negative - concern with feeling bad as a consequence of not living up to internalized values

children and adolescents. Few schoolaged children and many adolescents Few adolescents and adults

c. Situational Factors - Variables such as cost,

the person to be helped and amount of people watching. d. The way the child was brought up e. Culture what each promotes as prosocial behavior f. Gender very small difference favoring girls in prosocial behavior B. The older you are the more capable you are of higher levels of moral reasoning but using earlier stages of reasoning is still possible Relationship of Moral Reasoning with Prosocial Behavior A. There is no certainty of prosocial moral reasoning leading to prosocial behavior B. The relationship might change as a function of age: peoples reasoning at higher levels may assign more responsibility to the self for acting in a manner more consistent with their moral beliefs. (This relationship may be clearer when examined in specific situations.) C. Children who reasoned with need-oriented rather than Hedonistic were more likely to spontaneously share D. Children capable of more mature moral reasoning are more likely to help strangers or even people they hate Contrast Eisenbergs Theory with Kohlbergs Theory A. Similarities Both Eisenberg and Kohlberg emphasize the importance of cognitive development in guiding moral development. B. Differences Eisenbergs theory Child may use previously learned reasoning Kohlbergs theory Truer stage theory, hierarchical

Rare in adolescents, mostly in adults

Important Notes on the Model A. Factors that affect reasoning a. Age with age there is cognitive development b. Emotion sympathy which helps develop empathy.

Emphasized on the role of emotion in moral reasoning primitive empathy as young as 4 Dilemma: help or satisfy ones needs Childrens prosocial reasoning more advanced than proposed by Kohlberg

Focused more on cognitive reasoning Empathy only found much later Dilemma: moral rules or break the law

Janssens, Jan, and Dekovic, Maja. Child rearing, prosocial moral reasoning, and prosocial behavior. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 1997. Stephanie A. Shepard, et al. "Age Changes in Prosocial Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and Early Adulthood." Journal of Research on Adolescence (Blackwell Publishing Limited) 15.3 (2005): 235-260.

Implications to Teaching: 1. Dont give out concrete rewards Help children develop perception of themselves as being prosocial 2. Develop childs ability to empathize and sympathize a. Encourage role-playing that would help children experience the consequences of certain actions b. Heighten childrens awareness of the emotions of others c. Introduce different realities which is outside their usual circle d. Point out consequences of actions and try to understand the others feelings (Induction) e. Help children learn the skills for dealing with their emotions 3. Minimize punishment, Maximize support Sources: Grahme Hill. A Level Psychology: through diagrams. New York:Oxford University Press, 2001. Eisenberg, Nancy Ph.D. 8 Tips to Developing Caring Kids. 01 Aug. 2011 retrieved from <http://www.csee.org/products/87>. Eisenberg, Nancy, William Damon and Richard Lerner. ed. "Prosocial Development" Handbook of Child Psychology. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006.