“I Feel Good, I Am a Part of the Community”: Social Responsibility Values and Prosocial Behaviors during Adolescence, and Their Effects on Well-Being

Abstract

Developing social responsibility values and a sense of community during adolescence is an important step that leads to prosocial behaviors toward others and feeling good about oneself and fellow community members. In line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, sustainability is considered in a broader perspective as aimed at the development of human society, improving individual well-being and the quality of life for individuals and communities. In this sense, from a psychology of sustainability perspective, it is important to better understand the meaning of the connections between individual development and communities and the complexity of their relationships. The present study investigates the relationship between social responsibility values and well-being during adolescence, in a sample of 1925 students aged 14 to 20 years, also examining the mediating role of the sense of community and prosocial behaviors. Our mediational analysis suggests that the relation between social responsibility values and well-being is fully mediated by the sense of community and prosocial behaviors. Moreover, the sense of community has a direct effect on prosocial behaviors. This study, thus, provides new evidence and enlarges the wider sustainability science of how values and social participation enhance well-being.