In the Journal of Adolescence, Volume 57, June 2017, Pages 90-98, there is an article titled, "Longitudinal relations between adolescents' self-esteem and prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends and family." I found the results interesting, though somewhat predictable. Any time teenagers engage in "voluntary behavior to benefit another," they are not only helping the individual being served, but they are also helping themselves. The list of benefits that come to those who serve is amazing.
Here are a few excerpts from the journal article regarding the study and findings:
The results showed that adolescent self-esteem was associated longitudinally with subsequent prosocial behavior toward strangers, and prosocial behavior toward strangers promoted subsequent self-esteem.
Prosocial behavior is defined as voluntary behavior intended to benefit another. Prosocial behavior is positively correlated with psychosocial adjustment in adolescents, such as warding off aggression, reducing mental health problems like anxiety and depression, and promoting academic achievement.
Prosocial behavior may benefit individuals in the following aspects: (a) providing distraction from one's troubles; (b) enhancing the sense of meaning and value in one's life; (c) increasing perceived competence; (d) improving mood and positive emotions; and (e) promoting social integration.
Helping strangers is often more challenging for adolescents because strangers are not in one's in-group and teens may not interact with strangers regularly or repeatedly.
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