Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior  and altruism

Artur Rean; Andrey Shevchenko; Alexey Stavtsev; Roman Kuzmin

VAK Russia 5.3.9 UDC 159.9

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APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND ALTRUISM Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism

АА Аа

Published in Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior · Volume 6, Issue 1 · Pages 92–104 · Rubric: Psychological research on deviant behavior

Received: 07.02.2026 Accepted: 27.02.2026 Published: 28.04.2026

Authors

Artur Rean

ORCID Scopus ResearcherID SPIN

Andrey Shevchenko

ORCID

Alexey Stavtsev

Roman Kuzmin

ORCID

Artur Rean

Academic degree: doctor of pedagogical sciences

Science rang: academician author.academy_titles.33 ; professor

Moscow Pedagogical State University Russian Federation

ORCID Scopus ResearcherID SPIN

Andrey Shevchenko

Moscow Pedagogical State University Russian Federation

ORCID

Alexey Stavtsev

Academic degree: candidate of psychological sciences

Moscow State Pedagogical University Research Analyst · Center for Socialization, Family and Prevention of Antisocial Behavior Research · Moscow

Roman Kuzmin

Moscow State Pedagogical University Analitik · Centr socializacii, sem'i i profilaktiki asocial'nogo povedeniya · Moscow

ORCID

ABSTRACT

Introduction. The development and refinement of psychological and pedagogical strategies for the prevention of aggressive and destructive behavior require an understanding of the mechanisms of helping (prosocial) behavior and altruism as important components of an individual’s social adaptation. Prosocial behavior is viewed as a broader phenomenon encompassing various motivational forms, whereas altruism is interpreted as a specific type of helping action without expectation of external reward or personal gain. It is shown that prosociality and altruism occupy a central place in the external criteria of social adaptation and are linked to the system of personality characteristics that facilitate the transition from perceived social adaptation to actual social adaptation. Materials and methods. This theoretical article describes the conceptual relationships between the concepts “prosocial behavior” and “altruism” based on contemporary meta-analytic reviews and approaches from positive psychology, social psychology, and neuroscience. The article presents key socio- psychological and psychophysiological approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism: classical laboratory and field experiments (moral dilemmas, the “trolley problem,” the “Good Samaritan” study, etc.), questionnaires and self-report scales, as well as modern neuroimaging and multimodal methods. The results of the analysis demonstrate a significant expansion of the methodological arsenal in the study of prosocial behavior and altruism and a shift in emphasis from isolated procedures to comprehensive designs combining behavioral, psychometric, and psychophysiological methods. Conclusion. The need for further development of integrative models that account for the prerequisites of altruism, its connection to moral development, and the role of prosocial behavior in preventing aggressive and destructive forms of social maladjustment is emphasised.

KEYWORDS

positive psychology, positive neuroscience, social neuroscience, well-being, altruism, prosocial behavior

Funding

This study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 24-18-00389 on the topic “Social psychological and systemic-physiological markers of mental well-being and prosocial behavior of young people”.

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GOST

Rean A. A., Shevchenko A. O., Stavtsev A. A., Kuzmin R. G. Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism // Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior. 2026. no. 1. pp. 92-104. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c162132807fdbab871b7e/approaches-to-the-study-of-prosocial-behavior-and-altruism/view. (Date of access 20.09.2026).

MLA

Artur Rean, Shevchenko A. O., Stavtsev A. A., Kuzmin R. G.. "Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism." Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior 6.1 (2026): 92-104. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c162132807fdbab871b7e/approaches-to-the-study-of-prosocial-behavior-and-altruism/view.

APA

Rean A. A., Shevchenko A. O., Stavtsev A. A., Kuzmin R. G. (2026). Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism. Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior, 6(1), 92-104. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c162132807fdbab871b7e/approaches-to-the-study-of-prosocial-behavior-and-altruism/view

Chicago

Artur Rean, Shevchenko A. O., Stavtsev A. A., Kuzmin R. G.. "Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism." Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior 6, no. 1 (2026): 92-104. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c162132807fdbab871b7e/approaches-to-the-study-of-prosocial-behavior-and-altruism/view.

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{{cite journal | author = Rean A. A., Shevchenko A. O., Stavtsev A. A., Kuzmin R. G. | title = Approaches to the study of prosocial behavior and altruism | journal = Russian Journal of Deviant Behavior | year = 2026 | volume = 6 | issue = 1 | pages = 92-104 | url = https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c162132807fdbab871b7e/approaches-to-the-study-of-prosocial-behavior-and-altruism/view }}

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