RESEARCH PAPER
Volunteerism in the last year as a moderator
between empathy and altruistic social value
orientation: an exploratory study
| 1 | Institute of Psychology, The Maria Grzegorzewska University, Warsaw, Poland |
Submission date: 2021-01-12
Final revision date: 2021-06-15
Acceptance date: 2021-06-17
Online publication date: 2021-08-03
Publication date: 2022-03-01
Current Issues in Personality Psychology 2022;10(1):10–20
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
the role of personality in interpersonal relations and social behaviorsindividual differencespersonality and behavior dynamics
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Volunteerism is a sustained prosocial activity, and young adults are one of the most important targets for organizations recruiting volunteers. Empathy and altruistic social value orientation measured by a decomposed game are dispositional traits that might foster engagement in volunteerism.
Material and methods:
Using a self-report online-based questionnaire study on two groups of young adults (aged 18-35, N = 224 non-volunteers and N = 178 volunteers in the last year) the relationship between empathy and altruistic social value orientation in both of these groups was explored.
Results:
The results showed that volunteers scored significantly higher on empathy and altruistic social value orientation than non-volunteers. In non-volunteers, empathy is positively linked to altruistic social value orientation, whereas for volunteers the relationship is inversed.
Conclusions:
The results provide evidence that volunteers, when high on empathy, might not necessarily be ready to share financial resources with others, as operationalized by a decomposed game.
Volunteerism is a sustained prosocial activity, and young adults are one of the most important targets for organizations recruiting volunteers. Empathy and altruistic social value orientation measured by a decomposed game are dispositional traits that might foster engagement in volunteerism.
Material and methods:
Using a self-report online-based questionnaire study on two groups of young adults (aged 18-35, N = 224 non-volunteers and N = 178 volunteers in the last year) the relationship between empathy and altruistic social value orientation in both of these groups was explored.
Results:
The results showed that volunteers scored significantly higher on empathy and altruistic social value orientation than non-volunteers. In non-volunteers, empathy is positively linked to altruistic social value orientation, whereas for volunteers the relationship is inversed.
Conclusions:
The results provide evidence that volunteers, when high on empathy, might not necessarily be ready to share financial resources with others, as operationalized by a decomposed game.
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