Life Events and Prosocial Behaviors Among Young Adults: Considering the Roles of Perspective Taking and Empathic Concern

Abstract

The authors examined the altruism born of suffering model in a culturally diverse sample of young adults. They hypothesized that major life events would interact with perspective taking to predict empathic concern, which would predict multiple types of prosocial behaviors among young adults. The sample included 202 young adults (M age = 20.94 years; 76.5% girls; 36.5% White, 50.5% Latino) who reported on their exposure to major life events, perspective taking and empathic responding, and tendency to engage in six forms of prosocial behaviors. Life events indirectly, positively predicted prosocial behaviors via empathic concern. Empathic concern and perspective taking also interacted to predict empathic responding. The results demonstrated links that support the altruism born of suffering model, suggesting that life stressors might not always be negative and might promote resilience and social connection among young adults under specific conditions.

Keywords:

• Life events
• perspective taking
• empathic concern
• prosocial behaviors

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded through the Resource Allocation Committee at the University of New Mexico.

Notes on contributors

Alexandra N. Davis

Alexandra N. Davis is an assistant professor of Family and Child Studies at the University of New Mexico in the department of Individual, Family, and Community Education. Her research focuses on cultural and contextual stressors and links to positive adjustment of marginalized youth.

Ashley Martin-Cuellar

Ashley Martin-Cuellar is currently serving in a postdoctoral positive at the University of New Mexico in the department of Individual, Family, and Community Education. Her research focuses on the well-being of family practitioners and counselors and the impact of burn-out on social service professionals.

Haley Luce

Haley Luce worked on this research as an undergraduate research assistant in the department of Individual, Family, and Community Education at the University of New Mexico under the supervision of Dr. Alexandra Davis.