Friend influence on prosocial behavior: The role of motivational factors and friendship characteristics

Carolyn McNamara Barry; Kathryn R Wentzel

doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.15

Friend influence on prosocial behavior: The role of motivational factors and friendship characteristics

Dev Psychol. 2006 Jan;42(1):153-63. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.15.

Authors

Carolyn McNamara Barry¹, Kathryn R Wentzel

Affiliation

¹ Department of Psychology, Loyola College in Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21210-2699, USA. cbarry@loyola.edu

PMID: 16420125
DOI: 10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.15

Abstract

This study examined motivation (prosocial goals), individual characteristics (sex, ethnicity, and grade), and friendship characteristics (affective quality, interaction frequency, and friendship stability) in relation to middle adolescents' prosocial behavior over time. Ninth- and 10th-grade students (N = 208) attending a suburban, mid-Atlantic public high school and having at least 1 reciprocated friendship were followed for 1 year. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that a friend's behavior is related to an individual's prosocial goal pursuit, which in turn, is related to an individual's prosocial behavior. Further, the affective quality of a friendship and the frequency with which friends interact moderate relations of a friend's prosocial behavior to an individual's prosocial goal pursuit.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Friends*
Humans
Imitative Behavior*
Interpersonal Relations*
Male
Motivation*
Social Behavior*