Shelina Hassanali

EDPS 650
June 17
th
, 2013
Presentation Outline
What is pro-social behaviour?
Importance & relevance of the topic
Various ecologies involved
Religion: an influential factor
Socialization of religion
Positive impacts of religion on pro-social behaviour
Negative impacts of religion on pro-social behaviour
What is Pro-Social Behaviour?
In a broad sense, a large class of voluntary behaviors
that share the common intention to benefit another
(Dunfield & Kuhlmeier, 2013)
Can also include aspects of general social competence
Includes many behaviours, such as:

Helping Sharing
Cooperating Volunteering
Empathy Altruism
Reciprocity Fairness
Moral Reasoning Donating
Compassion Tolerance
Importance & Relevance
Pro-social skills & social competence are frequently
identified as attributes of resilient children, linked to
academic and social success (Abar, Carter & Winsler,
2008)

Of Canadas total population in 2011 (approx. 34
million), only 7.8 million individuals reported no
religious affiliation (Statistics Canada, 2011)
Majority of families are involved, to some degree, with
religion
Importance & Relevance
Many variables/ecologies effect the development of
pro-social skills

Compared to other ecologies, religion is understudied
in child development
i.e. in a report on the development of pro-social skills by
Human Resources Development Canada (2002), religion
was not included in the research, despite the inclusion
of various individual, familial, and community
characteristics
Ecologies Involved in Pro-Social
Development
Family: early years, child spends most time at home
Childcare: initial opportunities for social interaction
School: 6+ hours/day at school
Peers: skill practice occurs mainly with peers
Media: demonstrates whats considered the norm
Religion

The Socialization of Religion
Parents/caregivers are the primary influence in
shaping childrens religiosity (Schreiber, 2013)
Religious and moral values are communicated very
early in the socialization process between parents and
children (Abar, Carter & Winsler, 2008)


Impacts of Religion on Pro-Social
Development
Philosophical concepts of social behaviour have roots
in religious doctrine (Eisenberg, Fabes & Spinrad,
2007)
Many world religions teach pro-sociality as a virtue
(Sasaki et al, 2013)
The way religion is taught, modelled, enforced,
practiced, and internalized can have both positive and
negative effects on the development of pro-social
behaviour
Positive Impact of Religion on Pro-
Social Behaviour
Development of Empathy
Increased self-control & self-regulation
Increased helping & sharing behaviours
Social network & practice opportunities

Empathy
Emotions play a large role in development of pro-
social values, motives, and behaviours

Empathy is especially important (Eisenberg, Fabes &
Spinrad (2007)

The Golden Rule is in many different religious texts
Treat others how you would like to be treated
Religious groups often engage members in
opportunities to help those who are less fortunate
Empathy
Link to pro-social behaviour
Empathy allows children to put themselves in others
shoes
Encourages children to consider how another child may
feel prior to carrying out an action
Impacts social decision-making
Self Control & Self Regulation
Comprehensive review of empirical evidence related to
the impact of religion on the development of self-
control and self-regulation (McCullough &
Willoughby, 2009)
Strong evidence that religion is positively related to self-
control
Evidence that some religious rituals promote self-
regulation
Self Control & Self Regulation
Children are often socialized to display high levels of
self-control and to engage in positive self-regulation

Link to development of pro-social skills:
Impact ability to stop and think
Impact ability to control the childs own desires
Impact ability to self-regulate when things dont go as
planned
Helping & Sharing
Many religions encourage individuals to help those in
need
Fundraising
Volunteering
Charity work

From a young age, this may socialize children to
intrinsically believe in the benefit of sharing with and
helping others important pro-social behaviours




Helping & Sharing
Children and adolescents development of strong
religious identity is associated with higher levels of
pro-social activities such as community service
(Furrow, King & White, 2004)
Children involved with religion have been reported to
show greater altruism and service orientation (Smith &
Faris, 2002a)
Link to pro-social skills:
Impact on helping behaviours with peers
Impact on sharing and selfishness
Social Network & Practice
Opportunities
Religious participation provides youth with valuable
social networks with peers and adults; provides coping
strategies and moral directives (Eisenberg, Fabes &
Spinrad 2007; Schreiber, 2013)

Attendance at religious services and events, as well as
participation in other organized activities (i.e.
religious youth groups) provides a context for pro-
social behaviour to develop
Social Network & Practice
Opportunities
Study on religion and youth development (King &
Furrow, 2004)
Sample = 735 youth
Studied effect of religiousness on moral outcomes
Findings:
Religious practices may not in themselves increase altruism or
empathy BUT interactions with others in supportive
environments may do so
Religious training or individual conviction alone will not be
responsible for increases in moral or pro-social behaviour in
youth
Negative Impact of Religion on Pro-
Social Development
Minimal research on the topic in general
Even less research on negative effects mostly positive

Some suggestions include:
Effect on parent-child relationship & subsequent effect
on social skills
Effect on diversity of experiences

Effect on Parent-Child Relationship
& Social Skills
Religion may be viewed as a source of social authority
on many values (Stokes & Regnerus, 2009)
For parents with strong religious convictions, this
could potentially lead to an authoritative parenting
style, which may lead to insecure attachment
Research shows that secure attachment promotes
social competence (Bohlin, Hagekull & Rydell, 2000)
Therefore, could lead to poor social competence
Effect on Diversity of Experiences
It has been suggested that highly religious parents may
be fearful to loosen the reigns (Abar, Carter &
Winsler, 2008)
May impact childs exposure to environments,
experiences, and interactions which could potentially
provide opportunities to build and/or practice pro-social
behaviours in different contexts
Could lead to missed opportunities for social
development
Application to Practice
For families identifying religion as an important aspect
of their lives, exploring opportunities for
increased/enhanced religious involvement for children
may provide another ecology for social development
Partnership with religious organizations/youth groups
to develop programming/curriculum which
encourages transfer of pro-social teachings/practices
to other settings (i.e. school, peers)
Overall, keeping religious influences in mind when
working with children and families on topics related to
social skills
Summary
The relationship between religion and the
development of pro-social behaviour is an important
area of study
Parents play a large role in religious socialization and
in teaching pro-social skills
Overall, religion has a positive impact on development
of many pro-social behaviours; negative impacts are
not as prevalent
The various ecologies impacting pro-social behaviour,
including religion, should be explored when working
with children, youth, and families

Religion is a potent social forceIn addition to religions
social power, however, religion is a psychological force
that can influence the outcomes of individual human lives.
Indeed, the range of health-related, behavioural, and social
outcomes with which religiousness is associated is both provocative
and puzzling.

(McCullough & Willoughby, 2009)
References
Abar, B., Carter, K.L., & Winsler, A. (2008). The effects of maternal
parenting style and religious commitment on self-regulation, academic
achievement, and risk behavior among African-American parochial
college students. Journal of Adolescence, xx, pp. 1-15. DOI:
10.1016/j.adolescence.2008.03.008

Bohlin, G., Hagekull, B., & Rydell, A.M. (2000). Attachment and Social
Functioning: A Longitudinal Study from Infancy to Middle Childhood.
Social Development, 9(1), pp. 24-39.

Dunfield, K.A., Kuhlmeier, V.A. (2013). Classifying Prosocial Behavior:
Childrens Responses to Instrumental Need, Emotional Distress, and
Material Desire. Child Development, pp. 1-11.

Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R.A., & Spinrad, T. (2007). Prosocial Development.
Handbook of Child Psychology. DOI: 10.1002/9780470147658.chpsy.0311

References
King, P.E., & Furrow, J.L. (2004). Religion as a resource for positive youth
development: religions, social capital, and moral outcomes. Developmental
Psychology, 40(5), pp. 703-713. DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.40.5.703

McCullough, M.E., & Willoughby, B.L.B. (2009). Religion, Self-Regulation, and
Self-Control: Associations, Explanations, and Implications. Psychological Bulletin.

Parrila, R.K., Ma, X., Fleming, D., & Rinaldi, C. (2002). Development of Prosocial
Skills. Human Resources Development Canada.

Schreiber, J.C. (2013). Religious socialization of maltreated youth and the impact
of religiosity on their delinquency. University of Illinois.

Stokes, C.E., & Regnerus, M.D. (2009). When faith divides family: Religious
discord and adolescent reports of parentchild relations. Social Science Research,
38, pp. 155-167.