Written by four leading researchers in the study of prosocial behavior, this book examines prosocial behavior from a new multilevel perspective. The authors expand the breadth of the field, incorporating analyses of biological and genetic factors that predispose individuals to prosocial behavior. Each chapter begins with a question about prosocial behavior and ends with a summary that answers the question. The final chapter summarizes the questions and the answers that research provides. Conceptual models that elaborate on and extend the multilevel approach to prosocial behavior are used to tie these findings together.

The Social Psychology of Prosocial Behavior addresses the evolution of altruistic tendencies and other biological explanations of why humans are predisposed to be prosocial; how the situation and motives that are elicited by these situations affect when and how people help; the causes and maintenance of long-term helping, such as volunteering; how prosocial behavior changes over time and the developmental processes responsible for these changes; the consequences of helping for both the people who provide it and those who receive it; and helping and cooperation within and between groups and the implications of these actions.

This accessible text is ideal for advanced courses on helping and altruism or prosocial behavior, taught in psychology, sociology, management, political science, and communication, or for anyone interested in learning more about prosocial behavior in general.