Eisenberg Outline

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Outline: Eisenbergs Theory of Prosocial MoralDevelopmentMarie Mendoza & Anne Tiongco

Nancy Eisenberg-

1. Received her Ph.D. at the University of California,Berkeley2. Is currently a regents professor at Arizona State

University

3. She was the President of the Western PsychologicalAssociation and is the president-elect of Division 7(Developmental Psychology) o AmericanPsychological Association

4. Research interests includes: Emotion-relatedregulation, moral and emotional development,altruism, empathy, and developmentalpsychopathology.

Model of Prosocial Moral Reasoning

An emotional response is turned into empathicconcern when the child understands the distress ofthe other and feels concern for them.o Childrens reasoning about prosocial moral

conflicts is ordered into five developmentalstages or orientations, with each stageinvolving a more advanced cognitive structureof social concepts than the prior stages.

o Young children can reason about their own

prosocial behavior and experience empathywith other peoples feelings.

Method of ResearchEisenberg and her colleagues explored the moral

development of children and adolescents by presentingthem with moral dilemmas which they have to take the roleof, and act either out of self-interest or in the interest ofothers.

Definition of Important Terms

1. Prosocial Moral Reasoning The thinking thatoccurs when deciding whether to help, share with, orcomfort others when these actions could prove costlyto themselves

2. Prosocial Behavior actions that intentionally

benefit another regardless of motive3. Altruistic Behavior voluntary actions aimed to

benefit another and are not motivated by desire toobtain external reward

4. Empathy vs. Sympathya. Empathy:

A child views a sad person andconsequently feels sad

b. Sympathy:

A girl sees a sad peer and feels concernfor the peer

Five stages/Levels of Prosocial Moral ReasoningStage/Level Reasoning Age1.Hedonistic/Self-CenteredReasoning

(a) Hedonistic gain to theself - orientation to gainfor oneself

Preschoolersand earlyelementary-schoolchildren,

(b) direct reciprocity -orientation to personalgain because of directreciprocity or lack ofreciprocity from therecipient of an act.c) Affectional relationship

-orientation to theindividualsidentification/relationshipwith another

2. NeedsOrientedReasoning

Helping is based onphysical, material, orpsychological needs ofthe other person

Somepreschoolersand manyschool-agedchildren

3. Approval-Oriented

Doing what isstereotypically perceived

Someschool-aged


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Reasoning to be good by others togain approval (material oremotional)

children andadolescents.

4. EmphaticReasoning

Reasoning with the use ofrole-taking and empathy.

There is awareness of theemotional consequencesof helping (feeling good)or not helping (guilt).

Few school-aged

children andmanyadolescents

4.5 TransitionalReasoning

Justifications for actionsinvolve internalizedvalues (e.g., concern forothers' rights, protectingdignity). The ideas are notclearly thought out orstrongly stated.

Fewadolescentsand adults

5. Internalized

Reasoning

Internalized affect

because of gain (loss) ofself-respect because ofliving up (not living up) toones values

Rare in

adolescents,mostly inadults

a) Positive - orientationto feeling good, oftenabout oneself, as aconsequence of livingup to internalizedvalue

b) Negative - concernwith feeling bad as aconsequence of notliving up tointernalized values

Important Notes on the ModelA. Factors that affect reasoning

a. Age with age there is cognitive developmentb. Emotion sympathy which helps develop

empathy.

c. Situational Factors - Variables such as cost,the person to be helped and amount of peoplewatching.

d. The way the child was brought up

e. Culture what each promotes as prosocial

behaviorf. Gender very small difference favoring girls

in prosocial behavior

B. The older you are the more capable you are of higherlevels of moral reasoning but using earlier stages ofreasoning is still possible

Relationship of Moral Reasoning with ProsocialBehavior

A. There is no certainty of prosocial moral reasoningleading to prosocial behavior

B. The relationship might change as a function of age:

peoples reasoning at higher levels may assign moreresponsibility to the self for acting in a manner moreconsistent with their moral beliefs. (This relationshipmay be clearer when examined in specificsituations.)

C. Children who reasoned with need-oriented ratherthan Hedonistic were more likely to spontaneouslyshare

D. Children capable of more mature moral reasoningare more likely to help strangers or even people theyhate

Contrast Eisenbergs Theory with Kohlbergs TheoryA. Similarities

Both Eisenberg and Kohlberg emphasize theimportance of cognitive development in guidingmoral development.

B. DifferencesEisenbergs theory Kohlbergs theoryChild may use previouslylearned reasoning

Truer stage theory,hierarchical


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Emphasized on the role ofemotion in moral reasoning

Focused more oncognitive reasoning

primitive empathy asyoung as 4

Empathy only foundmuch later

Dilemma: help or satisfy

ones needs

Dilemma: moral rules or

break the lawChildrens prosocialreasoning more advancedthan proposed by Kohlberg

Implications to Teaching:

1. Dont give out concrete rewards Help childrendevelop perception of themselves as being prosocial

2. Develop childs ability to empathize and sympathizea. Encourage role-playing that would help

children experience the consequences ofcertain actions

b. Heighten childrens awareness of theemotions of others

c. Introduce different realities which is outsidetheir usual circle

d. Point out consequences of actions and try tounderstand the others feelings (Induction)

e. Help children learn the skills for dealing withtheir 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. 01Aug. 2011 retrieved from.

Eisenberg, Nancy, William Damon and Richard Lerner. ed."Prosocial Development" Handbook of Child Psychology.New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006.

Janssens, Jan, and Dekovic, Maja. Child rearing, prosocialmoral reasoning, and prosocial behavior. InternationalJournal of Behavioral Development, 1997.

Stephanie A. Shepard, et al. "Age Changes in Prosocial

Responding and Moral Reasoning in Adolescence and EarlyAdulthood."Journal of Research on Adolescence (BlackwellPublishing Limited) 15.3 (2005): 235-260.

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Eisenberg Outline