How Personality Traits, Social Resources, and Gender May Relate to Engagement in Prosocial Behaviour

BACKGROUND: The question of why people engage in prosocial behaviour at a cost to themselves has long been at the heart of the debate between sociologists and personality psychologists. Both groups differ widely in their answers and offer divergent perspectives. Drawing on both perspectives, this study contributes to the debate on prosocial behaviour. METHODS: A sample of 972 anonymous online respondents and 1st-year psychology students aged 18 years and over at the University of New England were recruited in 2017 and 2018. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we report the possible associations between resources, personality traits and prosocial behaviour and show that personality traits play a greater role in driving people to exhibit prosocial behaviour. RESULTS: In addition to their direct positive effects, personality traits mediate the effects of resources on prosocial behaviour, supporting social resource theory. We observed that age and personality traits are the most important and consistent predictors of prosocial behaviour for both men and women. Human capital was found to be positively related to prosocial behaviour in women. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the mediatory role of personality in addition to its direct effect on prosocial behaviour. Through further research, gender ideologies may help explain why the effect of resources on volunteering is gender differential.