Abstract

MARIA, Aznar-Farias  and  OLIVEIRA-MONTEIRO, Nancy Ramacciotti de. Reflections about pro-sociability, resilience and positive psychology. Rev. bras.ter. cogn. [online]. 2006, vol.2, n.2, pp.39-46. ISSN 1808-5687.

This article calls upon a reflection about pro-sociability, resilience and positive psychology, also covering the development of young people in so-called risk territories. It displays studies about pro-sociability that have been developed since 1980, as well as about education directed to pro-social behaviors and prevention of antisocial behaviors. It relates pro-sociability both to developmental and Social Psychology, pointing to critical questions involved in the concept of pro-sociability (in the same way as the construct of resilience), and its connection with ideology. It reminds us that specific studies about pro-sociability are not yet found in Brazil. Resilience is seen as a positive adaptation despite adversities. Our study makes a brief revision of the ecological theory on human development, which emphasizes the value of psychological processes in their relationships with multi-determined environments, seeking to understand the development of the person beyond the biological factors. It also presents reflections on the problems related to the development of youngsters in risk territories in Brazil. It recommends, as a mechanism for the promotion of resilience, the introduction of learning models in pro-sociability, possibly reaching different levels of ecological systems.

Keywords : Pro-sociability; Resilience; Development psychology.