Considering Racial Attitudes and Empathic Concern as Predictors of Prosocial Behaviors Among Emerging Adults

Abstract

The goal of the current study was to examine the role of racial attitudes, empathic concern, and prosocial behaviors among emerging adults. Research linking racial attitudes to emerging adults’ moral development and prosocial behaviors is limited, and therefore the current study aimed to assess the interrelations among racial attitudes and empathic concern and links to two forms of prosocial behaviors. The sample included 202 young adults (M age = 20.94 years; 76.5% women; 67.5% reported identifying as racially White) who reported on their racial attitudes, empathic concern, and prosocial behaviors at Time 1 and on their tendency to engage in two forms of prosocial behaviors at Time 2. Results demonstrated links between both racial attitudes and empathic concern predicting specific forms of prosocial behaviors over time. Additionally, racial attitudes and empathic concern interacted to predict changes in selfless helping behaviors. The current study has implications for practitioners such that promoting color-conscious racial attitudes and empathic concern simultaneously is important for shaping selfless helping behaviors.