Developmental Change in Social Responsibility During Adolescence: An Ecological Perspective

Social responsibility can be defined as a set of prosocial values representing personal commitments to contribute to community and society. Little is known about developmental change-and predictors of that change-in social responsibility during adolescence. The present study used an accelerated long...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Developmental psychology 2016-01, Vol.52 (1), p.130-142
Main Authors: Wray-Lake, Laura, Syvertsen, Amy K., Flanagan, Constance A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescent Development
Adolescents
Age Differences
Aging
Assets
Attitude Change
Beliefs
Change agents
Child
Child development
Commitment
Communities
Community involvement
Community Relations
Correlation
Democratic Values
Demography
Developmental psychology
Developmental Stages
Developmental Tasks
Ecology
Elementary School Students
Factor Analysis
Family
Family Influence
Female
Friendship
High School Students
Human
Humans
Individual differences
Interpersonal Relations
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Measures (Individuals)
Middle School Students
Peer Group
Peers
Prediction
Prosocial behavior
Research Design
Residence Characteristics
Rural communities
Rural Schools
Schools
Secondary schools
Social Behavior
Social cohesion
Social development
Social Responsibility
Social sciences
Social Values
Statistical Analysis
Sympathy
Trust (Psychology)
United States
United States (Midwest)
United States (Northeast)
Values
Volunteers
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Summary:Social responsibility can be defined as a set of prosocial values representing personal commitments to contribute to community and society. Little is known about developmental change-and predictors of that change-in social responsibility during adolescence. The present study used an accelerated longitudinal research design to investigate the developmental trajectory of social responsibility values and ecological assets across family, school, community, and peer settings that predict these values. Data come from a 3-year study of 3,683 U.S. adolescents enrolled in upper-level elementary, middle, and high schools in rural, semiurban, and urban communities. Social responsibility values significantly decreased from age 9 to 16 before leveling off in later adolescence. Family compassion messages and democratic climate, school solidarity, community connectedness, and trusted friendship, positively predicted within-person change in adolescents' social responsibility values. These findings held after accounting for other individual-level and demographic factors and provide support for the role of ecological assets in adolescents' social responsibility development. In addition, fair society beliefs and volunteer experience had positive between- and within-person associations with social responsibility values. The manuscript discusses theoretical and practical implications of the conclusion that declines in ecological assets may partly explain age-related declines in social responsibility values.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/dev0000067