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Altruism and Prosocial Behavior

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Encyclopedia of Geropsychology

Synonyms

Benevolence; Charity; Civil service; Compassion; Cooperation; Generosity; Helping; Kind acts; Philanthropy; Selflessness; Self-sacrifice; Volunteering

Definition

Prosocial behavior is voluntary, intentional behavior that results in benefits for another person. Such behavior is considered to be altruistic if it is motivated by a genuine desire to benefit another person, without any expectation of benefits to oneself (Feigin et al. 2014; Eisenberg and Miller 1987).

Prosocial behavior is the “social glue” that enables people of different ages to live together peacefully and productively. Specifically, prosocial behavior has been defined as “voluntary, intentional behavior that results in benefits for another person” (Eisenberg and Miller 1987, p. 92). The purpose of this entry is to examine motivators or antecedents of prosocial behavior, possible benefits or consequences for the helper, and how the underlying processes may differ across different phases of the adult lifespan.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jennifer C. Lay

  2. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Christiane A. Hoppmann

Authors
  1. Jennifer C. Lay
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  2. Christiane A. Hoppmann
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer C. Lay .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Nancy A. Pachana

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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

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Lay, J.C., Hoppmann, C.A. (2017). Altruism and Prosocial Behavior. In: Pachana, N.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geropsychology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_69

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