Morality and Prosocial Behavior

Abstract

Research on the development of morality conducted over the last century demonstrates that the child constructs moral knowledge in the context of a complex social world. As children develop they construct distinct conceptual understandings of moral and other social norms through reciprocal person-environment interactions. Early experiences of help and harm lead to rich understandings of rights, welfare, and justice that become increasingly coordinated with other forms of self- and social-evaluation in adolescence. Healthy social and psychological development are premised on shared conceptual knowledge of right and wrong and the rules systems that arise out of these concepts. Emotional and cognitive developmental processes are seen as foundational and interfunctional in the construction of the child's self-reflective and other-oriented behaviors and judgments. This article explores these considerations, focusing on the formation, progression, and structure of morality and the prosocial behaviors it springs from and enacts in reciprocal social exchanges.