from Part IV - Applications
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2023
Prosocial development is considered foundational for youth civic engagement, yet associations between these two developmental domains is more complex and dynamic than typically recognized. This chapter examines theory and evidence linking prosociality and two main dimensions of civic engagement: civic helping and political engagement. Most research separately examines helping versus political engagement, given that different correlates and developmental processes are often evident. Positive youth development theory posits that adolescents’ caring and connections lead to civic contributions, and evidence lends support for bidirectional associations between civic helping and prosocial competencies. Youth political engagement is not as commonly studied in relation to prosocial development, but empathy combined with critical social analysis may support socially just political attitudes and actions, whereas other political attitudes are rooted in exclusion and inequality and antithetical to prosociality. Implications for theory, future research, and practice are also discussed.
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