title: How much is it going to cost me? Bidirectional relations between adolescents' moral personality and prosocial behavior.
abstract: The current study examined bidirectional relations between adolescents' moral personality (prosocial values, self-regulation, and sympathy) and low- and high-cost prosocial behavior toward strangers. Participants included 682 adolescents (M age of child = 14.31, SD = 1.07, 50% female) who participated at two time points, approximately one year apart. Cross-lag analyses suggested that adolescents' values were associated with both low- and high-cost prosocial behavior one year later, self-regulation was associated with high-cost prosocial behavior, and sympathy was associated with low-cost prosocial behavior. Findings also suggested that low-cost prosocial behavior was associated with sympathy one year later, and high-cost prosocial behavior was associated with values. Discussion focuses on reciprocal relations between moral personality and prosocial behavior, and the need to consider a more multidimensional approach to prosocial development during adolescence.
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, United States. Electronic address: laura_walker@byu.edu.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Padilla-Walker
authors.affiliation: Brigham Young University, United States.
authors.forename: Ashley M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fraser
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009014:Morals; D010551:Personality; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012649:Self Concept; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: Moral identity; Moral personality; Prosocial behavior; Self-regulation; Sympathy; Values