Abstract
The
role of two personality attributes: locus of control and self-esteem on
person’s prosocial responses was studied among 100 students of Tribhuvan
University, Kirtipur studying in Master in Arts, 50 males and 50 females each.
Samples were selected randomly and administered a battery of three tools to
measure locus of control, self-esteem and prosocial behavior. Correlation
coefficient revealed that prosocial behavior and locus of control didn’t show
significant relationship. The values of correlation were found to be
significantly positive on self-esteem and prosocial behavior. Students with
high self-esteem responded more prosocially than students with low self-esteem.
Self-esteem and external locus of control have negative relationship. Internal
seemed to possess high self-esteem. Finally, gender differences were not found
with respect to prosocial behavior, locus of control and self-esteem.
Introduction
In
observing our own or others behaviors, we can recognize consistent personality
characteristics. At the same time we can also recognize the variability of
behavior over time and across situations. The issue of whether to focus
attention on the person or on the situation can be viewed as an aspect of a
broader issue the reactive significance of internal and external determinants
of behavior. Almost all psychologists of the recent world emphasize the
importance of internal and external determinants of behavior, of organism and
environment. Clear differences in emphasis and interpretation emerge different
fields and theorists within psychology. Obviously there is individual and
environment, person and situation, nature and nurture, yet the tendency has
remained to emphasize one or another set of variables.
The subject matter of
this study has been variously labeled as helping, altruism, and prosocial
behavior. Many investigators use these terms interchangeably. Prosocial
behavior is the term often used to represent culturally prescribed moral
actions such as sharing, helping someone in need, co-operating with others, and
expressing sympathy. To a certain extent, the difference between internal
interpretations of altruism is associated with differences between studies
conducted by personality psychologists and studies conducted by social
psychologists. In general, the personality psychologists tend to be more
concerned with characteristics of the situation. Another difference between
these two positions is that one position emphasizes motives and the other
eliciting conditions. Internal views speak of motives for helping others and
being altruistic whereas the more social psychological investigations emphasize
the conditions that elicit helping behavior. Such different theoretical
emphases have important research implications. Whereas the external, social
psychological view leads to the study of a specific act by people in a specific
situation, an internal view would lead to study of patterns of behavior that
are characteristic of the individual or as in the case of the ethnologists, to
patterns of behavior characteristic of members of the species.
Is helpfulness a
personality trait that some people simply help individuals who give assistance
in a variety of setting? Or does it have more to do with the specific situation
so that a person who helps in one situation is not necessarily more likely to
help in another? Or does more helpful person think differently than non helpful
person? What might be the basis for such individual differences in prosocial
behavior? Attention here has focused on two areas of personality: locus of
control and self-esteem.
Locus of control is the degree to
which people believe that they are masters of their own fate. Locus of control
divides people into internal and external (I-E) personality attributes.
Internals are people who take responsibility for their own actions and believe
that they have control over their own destiny where as externals believe that
their lives are controlled by outside forces. They attribute success or failure
to outside forces like luck, chance, God, difficulties, situations and powerful
others (Rotter, 1966).
Self-esteem
is the way one feels about oneself, including the degree which one posses
self-respect and self-acceptance. Self-esteem is the sense of personal worth
and competence that person associates with their self-concepts. Self-esteem is
the self-evaluation made by an individual and one's attitude toward oneself
along a positive negative-dimension (Baron & Byrne, 2004). It is an
individual's degree of liking or disliking themselves and the extent to which a
person believes oneself is a worthwhile and desiring individual.
Review of Literature
Researchers
have found significant associations between personality variables and prosocial
behaviors across different contexts (Carlo et al., 1991). It is clear
that the specific characteristics of situations play a major role in
determining how people react to others in need. A number of these investigators
are quite skeptical about the role of personality variables. Some have offered
reasons why personality factors might not be as closely related to prosocial
behavior as we might expect (Latane & Darley, 1970). Researchers have shown
certain personality traits are likely to prompt altruistic responses.
Individuals high in need for social approval respond best to rewards such as
praise and similar signs of appreciation when they are rewarded in this way for
prosocial acts, helpfulness increases on subsequent occasions (Deutsch &
Lamberti, 1986). People high in interpersonal trust engage in more prosocial
acts than do people who tend to distrust others (Cadenhead & Richman,
1996). Those scoring highest on machiavellianism are least likely to show
prosocial tendencies (McHoskey, 1999).
Rushton
J.P. (1981) concluded from his several studies that there is stable pattern of
individual difference in prosocial behavior. There was consistency in prosocial
behavior across different situation and behavior. Prosocial behavior was
correlated with different aspects of behavior such as moral reasoning,
nurturance, sensitive-attitude, social responsibility, empathy and prosocial
norms. People high in prosocial
disposition are expected to behave prosocially over a diverse range of
situations.
Locus
of control on prosocial behavior
A study done by Midlarsky and Midlarsky
(1973) has shown that an internal locus of control facilitates helping
behavior. In their study they told male subjects that they were participating
in an armed forces research project to develop tests for selecting pilots. Each
subject worked with someone who was really an assistance of the experimenter.
Each pair was told that if one finishes the task before the other, one can help
his partner. In essence, Midlarsky & Midlarsky found that internally
oriented subjects were more likely to help their partners than were external
subjects.
Self-esteem
on prosocial behavior
One study done by Rigby and Slee in 1993
measures three dimensions of interpersonal relations among Australian school
children were hypothesized as reflecting tendencies (a) to bully others, (b) to
be victimized by others, and (c) to relate to others in a prosocial and
cooperative manner. School children from two secondary schools answered 20
questions assessing styles of interpersonal relations which revealed that low
levels of self-esteem were found among children who reported being more
victimized than others, and high self-esteem among children practicing more
prosocial behavior (Rigby & Slee, 1993).
Method
Random
sampling procedure was used. One hundred Students of art faculty studying in
Masters Level in Tribhuwan University, Kirtipur were randomly selected as a
participant for the study. A battery of three tests was administered to measure
prosocial behavior, locus of control and self-esteem. Hindi Version of Self Report Altruism Scale
was used to measure prosocial behavior, developed by Khanna R., Singh P., and
Rushton J.P. in 1992. Rotter’s
Locus of Control Scale was used to measure locus of control, which was
developed by Julian Rotter in 1966. Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale was used to measure self-esteem
which was formulated by Rosenberg in 1965 to measure adolescent's global idea
of self-worth and self-acceptance.
Results
Relationship
between locus of control and prosocial behavior
The
study revealed that there is no significant relationship between locus of
control and prosocial behavior. The correlation coefficient r =0.031 indicates
low in magnitude of either external or internal locus of control has nominal
effect on person's prosocial actions.
Relationship
between self-esteem and prosocial behavior
There
is positive relationship between self-esteem and prosocial behavior. The
correlation coefficient r = 0.162 shows that increase in self-esteem increases
person's prosocial behavior. Relationship between locus of control and
self-esteem
A
negative relationship is found between locus of control and self-esteem. The
correlation coefficient r = -0.179 reveals that increase in self-esteem score
may decrease in locus of control score. High score in self-esteem indicates
high level of self-esteem and low score in locus of control indicates high in
internal locus of control.
Discussion
The
hypothesis which predicted people with internal locus of control would show
more prosocial behavior than with external locus of control did not show any
significant relationship. It provided the evidences that either external or
internal locus of control has nominal effect on person's prosocial behavior.
Whether people are helpful or not helpful depends upon different dispositional
variables. Both situational factors and personality attributes can be found in
person’s prosocial behavior. People with high self-esteem were found to be more
prosocial than people with low self-esteem.
Many studies pointed out that people with high self-esteem are more
helpful in the emergency situations (Rigby & Slee, 1993). People with high
self-esteem hold positive evaluations of themselves. They are satisfied with
their abilities. People who have high self-esteem feel more competent and less
chance to affect from environmental factors than individuals with low
self-esteem.
The
hypothesis internal locus of control and high self-esteem will be positively
correlated was supported by the findings. The association between locus of
control and self-esteem indicated that people with internal locus of control
have shown higher degree of self-esteem. Those who believe in themselves or own
abilities rather than luck or fate hold more positive attitude toward oneself
(Samuel, 1981; Phares, Ritchie & Davis, 1968). The hypothesis regarding
gender differences in prosocial behavior, locus of control and self-esteem did
not find any support in this study.
This
study has concluded several findings. The University students were found
average in prosocial behavior, middle side of the internal-external dimension
and average in the self-esteem. This study supported that people's thinking
pattern (internal or external) has not affected the persons helping behavior.
People with high self-esteem seem to act more prosocially than people with low
self-esteem. People with high self-esteem tend to posses internal locus of
control. Evidences suggest that there are not gender differences in prosocial
behavior, locus of control and self-esteem respectively.
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