Parenting and Prosocial/Moral Development in Asians and Asian Immigrants to the United States

This chapter discusses theoretical and empirical approaches to studying moral development (particularly the development of empathy-related responses and prosocial behavior) in Asians and Asian immigrants to the United States, including processes of acculturation. Individuals of Asian origin make up roughly 60 percent of the world’s population, but connections between moral development and parenting in this population are poorly understood. In reviewing the available research, this chapter emphasizes an understanding of risk and protective factors and within-culture approaches to understanding links between parenting and prosocial development in Asians and Asian Americans. Recommendations for future research are outlined, including understanding the functions of prosociality and parenting through a cultural lens, the need for more research on the heterogeneity of the experience of Asian and Asian American subgroups, and a greater appreciation of the multifaceted nature of moral development and parenting in theory and empirical research with these populations.