Natural Socialization: The Role of Experience or Learning by Doing

Ervin Staub

doi:10.1017/CBO9780511615795.012

11 - Natural Socialization: The Role of Experience or Learning by Doing

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 May 2010

Ervin Staub

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Ervin Staub: Affiliation:
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

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Summary

focusing responsibility on children and learning by participation

Enacting or rehearsing prosocial behavior is important if children are to learn to behave prosocially. Certain types of influences on children, such as verbal communications, will acquire meaning and gain acceptance when they are experienced in conjunction with ongoing prosocial action.

I have previously suggested (Staub, 1975a, 1975b, 1978c; Staub & Feinberg, 1978) that an important influence on children learning to behave prosocially is the focusing of responsibility on them by parents and other socializing agents to engage in behavior that enhances others' welfare. Focusing responsibility refers to the demand by the parent that the child engage in prosocial behavior. It does not refer to a method of discipline, such as love withdrawal or power assertion, which does not specify what values and behavior the parents wish to promote. Like induction, focusing responsibility on children to behave prosocially refers to a particular content area, to a particular type of behavior the parents wish to promote. Although responsibility assignment is likely to lead to knowledge of desirable behavior, knowledge of “family norms” or social norms, it can only be expected to lead to internalization and self-guidance if socializers employ effective controls so that the child will actually behave prosocially. Thus, effective focusing of responsibility on children might result from a combination of parental values and parental actions that induce behavior consistent with these values in the child.

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Type: Chapter
Information: The Psychology of Good and Evil
Why Children, Adults, and Groups Help and Harm Others
, pp. 173 - 198

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615795.012 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2003

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