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Social Psychology and Society
2026. Vol. 17, no. 1, 132–145
doi:10.17759/sps.2026170108
ISSN: 2221-1527 / 2311-7052 (online)

Typologies of prosocial behaviors and the possibility of their application in the context of educational practices

 
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Abstract

Context and relevance. Prosocial behavior, defined as voluntary behavior in the interests of others, is considered as a key factor of adaptation and survival in conditions of uncertainty, a way of coping with modern social challenges, such as pandemics, natural disasters and military conflicts, as well as a subject of educational activity in the educational environment.
Objective. The article describes three dominant typologies of prosocial behavior in the scientific literature, developed by N. Eisenberg and colleagues, G. Carlo and B. Randall, and P. Boxer and colleagues. The foundations of these typologies, research that draws on each typology, and practical applications of these typologies in educational settings are discussed.
Conclusions. The theoretical study demonstrates the diversity and complexity of the phenomenon of prosocial behavior, the problems associated with its classification and measurement, the transformation of views on prosocial behavior over time, and the current direction of research on the relationship between prosocial and aggressive behavior. The importance of a reflective professional stance, consideration of the complexity of motives behind prosocial behavior, and distinguishing between institutionalized and spontaneous forms of prosocial behavior in designing interventions to support prosocial behavior among children and adolescents and building a positive and supportive school organizational culture are emphasized.

General Information

Keywords: prosocial behavior, typologies of prosocial behavior, educational environment, educational practices, education, children and adolescents

Journal rubric: Applied Research and Practice

Article type: scientific article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2026170108

Funding. This article was prepared with the support of the Russian Science Foundation under the project No. 22-18-00416-П “Development of autonomy of children and adolescents in education”, https://rscf.ru/project/qd1GNziZfHLZHmZthtFUA6VTuxGs4MHYA7MchXckrq5ssEsnrLP0RToCV-_zW6j753vQmyISCBY~/.

Received 02.10.2025

Revised 07.12.2025

Accepted

Published

For citation: Mikhaylova, O.R., Bochaver, A.A. (2026). Typologies of prosocial behaviors and the possibility of their application in the context of educational practices. Social Psychology and Society, 17(1), 132–145. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17759/sps.2026170108

© Mikhaylova O.R., Bochaver A.A., 2026

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

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Information About the Authors

Oxana . Mikhaylova, Candidate of Science (Sociology), Research Associate, Associate Professor, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0236-6992, e-mail: oxanamikhailova@gmail.com

Alexandra A. Bochaver, Doctor of Psychology, Senior Research Fellow, Director of the Centre for Research on Modern Childhood Research, Institute of Education, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6131-5602, e-mail: a-bochaver@yandex.ru

Contribution of the authors

Oxana R. Mikhaylova — conceptualization, work with scientometric databases, preparation of the text of the publication.
Alexandra A. Bochaver — conceptualization, preparation of the publication text.
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.

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