A review of pro- and antisocial behavior: Arguing for a multidimensional perspective

The relationship between antisocial behavior and prosocial behavior has received limited attention because often these types of behavior tend to be studied and discussed in distinct literatures and across distinct samples. With this systematic review regarding co-existing of antisocial and prosocial behavior we bridge these literatures focusing on three main questions. First, are antisocial behavior and prosocial behavior opposite ends of a single dimension, or can they co-exist in the same individual? Second, are there differences between a community and an antisocial population. Third, does research suggest that antisocial and prosocial behavior have distinct (or shared) etiologies? Krueger et al., (2001) argued that antisocial and prosocial behavior are conceptually distinct and consequently have unique correlates. This can be in favor of a dimensional rather than a continual view. Supporting this line of reasoning, in a meta-analysis on morally relevant behaviors and moral attributions, Malti and Krettenauer (2013) studied antisocial and prosocial behaviors as two independent outcome measures. All in all, the current systematic review will contribute to the existing research on pro- and antisocial behavior by studying their co-existence, examining differences between community and antisocial samples, and exploring their etiology. The results of this review will provide insights in a multidimensional perspective on prosocial and antisocial behavior and will therewith contribute to a more nuanced picture on the relation between prosocial and antisocial behavior, possibly providing a theoretical and empirical basis for interventions fostering prosocial behavior in youth showing antisocial behavior.