The Emergency of Prosociality: a developmental perspective on altruism and human prosocial behavior in the face of disaster

Abstract

No two emergency situations are the same. A combination of human and contextual factors makes each emergency and disaster event unique in its timeline, its aftermath, and especially its impact on affected populations. Common to these situations, however, is a demonstration of prosocial behavior intended to benefit other victims. Can shared features of emergencies, viewed through the lens of evolutionary, cognitive, developmental and social psychology shed light on these prosocial and altruistic actions? In this narrative review, we survey the onset of prosociality and altruistic behavior in typical human development, and we focus on how it is expressed in emergency situations. We consider how prosociality shifts and adapts in the specific context of a pandemic. Finally, we suggest that a multidisciplinary research approach may help overcome methodological limitations and achieve more comprehensive understanding of prosociality’s underlying mechanisms in emergency contexts.