Abstract
The current study explored, in a sample of 219 young Italian adults (105 M; 114 F; mean age = 22.10 years; SD = 2.69; age range = 18–29), the contribution of the five psychosocial skills (Five Cs) identified by the Positive Youth Development approach (competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring) to sustainable behaviors, including pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic. and equitable actions. We performed four regression analyses, in which the Five Cs were the independent variables and pro-ecological, frugal, altruistic, and equitable behaviors were the dependent ones. Results reveal that character predicted pro-ecological and frugal behaviors, whereas competence was a significant antecedent of altruism. In addition, we found that caring predicted pro-ecological and altruistic actions while connection was a positive predictor of equity. These findings suggest that psychosocial resources could be crucial for sustainability, opening new possibilities for research and intervention in order to promote sustainable practices that could guarantee the well-being of the present and forthcoming generations. Limits and future research directions are also discussed.
Highlights
Human behavior represents the primary agent of the planetary crisis, which involves both environmental and social dimensions [1,2]
We explore the involvement of the five psychosocial skills (Five Cs) identified by Positive Youth Development (PYD), namely competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring, on a set of actions involved in protecting the natural and socio-cultural milieu [4]
Cs proposed by PYD through the following subscales: (1) competence measures the individual competence in academic, social and physical dimensions (e.g., “I am popular with others of my age”); (2) confidence records individual self-worth, positive identity, and appearance (e.g., “I am happy the way I am”); (3) character assesses individual social conscience, morality, and personal values (e.g., “I want to make the world a better place to live”); (4) caring explores the people predisposition toward empathic feelings
Summary
Human behavior represents the primary agent of the planetary crisis, which involves both environmental (e.g., climate change or loss of biodiversity) and social dimensions (e.g., economic and educational poverty, inequity, and injustice) [1,2]. Different PYD models exist in literature (see [16] for a review), the most empirically supported is Lerner’s Five Cs model [3] It depicts five main interacting psychological and social skills, namely competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring, mainly involved in youth positive development. Given the pivotal role of these five dimensions in individual positive adaptive functioning [18], it is reasonable to hypothesize that they could avert socio-environmental issues and, as a result, contribute to promoting SB This contribution, which in our view could involve sustainability, is known in PYD literature as the sixth C [19,20]. Given that specific educational programs can cultivate and enhance PYD attributes [21,22], they may represent a relevant tool for feeding the common sense of sustainability and engaging people in organized efforts to promote concrete sustainable actions
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