A lifespan perspective on attachment and care for others: Empathy, altruism, and prosocial behavior

Abstract

Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969/1982, 1973, 1980) is, at its core, a theory of prosocial behavior. It explains how, in early childhood, interactions with mindful, caring, and supportive parental figures ("attachment figures") create and solidify children's positive mental representations of others (as competent, dependable, and well intentioned), their pervasive sense of safety and security, and their ability to recognize, acknowledge, and regulate emotions. The theory has been supported by decades of developmental research, summarized in this volume, which implies the existence of an intergenerational transmission of security (or insecurity) that potentially creates a continuing crossgenerational stream of prosocial behavior - or its absence. The extension of the theory to some of the topics encountered in the broader psychological literature on prosocial behavior - empathy, compassion, generosity, forgiveness, and altruism (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2010, 2012) - is quite natural, and in recent years it has been accomplished in studies of the prosocial behavior of children, adolescents, and adults. Our purpose in this chapter is to highlight attachment-related research on prosocial behavior in different phases of the lifespan. We begin with a brief explanation of how the theory's basic concepts relate to prosocial attitudes, motives, emotions, and behavior. This explanation is summarized in a conceptual model of the association between parental sensitive responsiveness on one hand, and a child's empathy and prosocial behavior on the other, mediated by the child's attachment security, internal working models (IWMs), and effective emotion regulation. We follow the theoretical introduction with two major sections on prosocial emotions and behavior in childhood and in adulthood. We conclude the chapter with suggestions for future research involving children and adults.