Person—Context Relations as Developmental Conditions for Empathy and Prosocial Action

Empathy and prosocial behavior constitute aspects of child-context relations. They are influenced by the environment of the developing child, and they influence the child’s relation to his or her environment. The child’s most intimate environment are the caretakers, whereas on a macrolevel the cultural environment and the sociopolitical system are operating. These environments are interconnected and affect the child-context relation, and thereby the child’s development.