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Social Psychology and Society
2026. Vol. 17, no. 1, 112–131
doi:10.17759/sps.2026170107
ISSN: 2221-1527 / 2311-7052 (online)

The relationship between identity and prosocial behavior among contemporary Russian youth

 
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Abstract

Context and Relevance. Prosocial behavior, defined as actions aimed at benefiting other individuals, groups, or society as a whole, is associated with a range of positive social outcomes, from strengthening a positive self-image to enhancing intragroup cohesion. Readiness to engage in prosocial actions is mediated by social identification and reflects the ways in which individuals define themselves across different social contexts in relation to members of various social groups. The nature of this relationship may vary across age groups and undergo particularly pronounced changes during youth. However, in the Russian context, there is a lack of comprehensive studies examining the transformation of the relationship between social identities and prosocial behavior. The relevance of this research is determined by the increasing differentiation of environmental factors, which necessitates the study of conditions enabling successful social integration and the formation of positive behavioral models.
Objective. To examine the nature of the relationship between different forms of identity and prosocial behavior across various age groups within the contemporary Russian youth population. Hypotheses. It is hypothesized that (1) the prosocial behavior of youth is primarily associated with broad group identities, and (2) as youth mature, the relationship between prosocial behavior and personal identity becomes stronger.
Methods and Materials. The overall sample consists of 355 Russian citizens aged 18 to 35. The following instruments were used: the abbreviated version of the Cheek and Briggs “Aspects of Identity” questionnaire; McFarland’s “Identification with All Humanity” scale; Carlo and Randall’s “Prosocial Tendencies Measure”; and a socio-demographic indicators survey. Hypotheses were tested using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis.
Results. Differences were identified in the structure of relationships between identity and prosocial behavior among different age groups. With increasing age, the number of prosocial behavioral forms associated with civic identity expands. In addition, the relationship of relational identity to conformist and altruistic forms of prosociality changes; a connection with personal identity emerges.
Conclusion. It is advisable to study “youth” as a differentiated group, considering the dynamic transformation of their socio-psychological characteristics depending on the social situation of development. As individuals age, the connection between prosocial behavior and personal structures reflecting group experience grows stronger; later, orientation toward personal goals and values is added to these structures.

General Information

Keywords: identity, civic identity, behavior, prosocial behavior, youth, contemporary Russian youth

Journal rubric: Empirical Research

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2026170107

Funding. The work was carried out with the support of Saint Petersburg State University, project code 124032600013-2 “Modeling stable constructs of civic identity of Russian youth as a mechanism for transferring spiritual and moral values” (ID PURE 116230058).

Supplemental data. Datasets аvailable from https://ruspsydata.mgppu.ru/handle/123456789/246.

Received 29.07.2025

Revised 02.11.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Gurieva, S.D., Liapina, T.E., Yumkina, E.A., Maltseva, A.V., Shilkina, N.E. (2026). The relationship between identity and prosocial behavior among contemporary Russian youth. Social Psychology and Society, 17(1), 112–131. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2026170107

© Gurieva S.D., Liapina T.E., Yumkina E.A., Maltseva A.V., Shilkina N.E., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Svetlana D. Gurieva, Doctor of Psychology, Professor, Head of Social Psychology Department, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4305-432X, e-mail: s.gurievasv@spbu.ru

Tatiana . Liapina, Postgraduate Student, Department of Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7170-7823, e-mail: tlyapina2001@bk.ru

Ekaterina A. Yumkina, Candidate of Science (Psychology), Senior Lecturer, Department of Social Psychology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4539-7235, e-mail: katerinayum@mail.ru

Anna V. Maltseva, Doctor of Sociology, Professor of the Department of Social Analysis and Mathematical Methods in Sociology, Faculty of Sociology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1322-6255, e-mail: a.maltseva@spbu.ru

Natalia E. Shilkina, Doctor of Sociology, Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology of Youth and Youth Policy, Faculty of Sociology, Saint Petersburg State University, St.Petersburg, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6680-703X, e-mail: n.shilkina@spbu.ru

Contribution of the authors

Svetlana D. Gurieva — ideas; planning of the research.
Tatiana E. Liapina — application of statistical, mathematical or other methods for data analysis; conducting the experiment; data collection and analysis.
Ekaterina A. Yumkina — annotation, theoretical analysis, design of the manuscript; visualization of research results.
Anna V. Maltseva — preparation of the repository, preparation of accompanying documents.
Natalia E. Shilkina — work with the text of the article, editing, proofreading.
All authors participated in the discussion of the results and approved the final text of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethics statement

The study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Saint Petersburg State University (Protocol No. 02-283 dated September 18, 2024). Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by respondents.

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