The Development of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence

Abstract

(from the chapter) This chapter is about the development of prosocial and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Our aim is to show that prosocial and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents are not simply two sides of the same coin. Few researchers have investigated prosocial and antisocial behavior within the same sample; however, the empirical evidence shows that although the two dimensions are substantially negatively correlated with each other, this negative correlation is far from perfect. Thus, some people resemble the metaphor of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde--they are prosocial in some situations, but behave selfishly and brutally in others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved).