ABSTRACT
This chapter defines prosocial behavior as any behavior that is intended to benefit another. This definition suggests that any prosocial inclination must involve at least some awareness of the distress, plight, or need of the other. Daniel Bar-Tal and his colleagues have suggested that altruistic behavior may show stagelike development. Perspective-taking is not a unidimensional ability. Indeed, many different kinds of processes are implicated by the label. Numerous measuring instruments have been designed over the years to assess the various kinds of perspective-taking. Martin Hoffman has developed the most sophisticated account of empathy's role in our moral life. In his view moral action is motivated by the resonance of empathic affect. Nancy Eisenberg and Paul Miller revisited the literature on empathy and its relationship to prosocial behavior. The goal of moral socialization is self-regulation and internal control.
