ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2015, Vol. 23 ›› Issue (7): 1226-1235.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2015.01226

• Regular Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Individuals’ Well-Being in Prosocial Interaction: The Role of Autonomy

YANG Ying; KOU Yu   

  1. YANG Ying; KOU Yu
  • Received:2014-11-07 Online:2015-07-15 Published:2015-07-15
  • Contact: KOU Yu, E-mail: kouyu@bnu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Prosocial behavior is the positive behavior in interpersonal interaction that can benefit other people, groups and society. Prosocial behavior is considered as a critical way to help individuals gain happiness. However, not all kinds of prosocial behaviors can prompt people’s well-being. Only those prosocial behaviors that could satisfy individuals’ need of autonomy might increase the participants’ well-being in this prosocial interaction, and could promote interpersonal relationships. Specifically, the behavior agent can gain well-being through autonomous-motivated prosocial behavior; the recipient’s well-being not only is influenced by agent’s motivation, but also depends on the satisfaction of his own need of autonomy; and the bystander will participate in transmitting prosocial behavior forward after observing the behavioral and emotional outcomes in the interpersonal interaction as a potential agent or recipient.

Key words: prosocial behavior, well-being, autonomous motivation, autonomy, bystander