Personality traits associated with altruistic behavior of children

Abstract

In the psychological literature, adaptive and non-neurotic traits, and maladaptive and neurotic traits are viewed as correlates of altruism. In a study of school-age children, results for boys only showed that “negative” types of traits occured with low and high levels of altruism, and that “positive” types of traits occurred with in-between levels of altruism. Described at a conceptual level, it seems that both rational-altruistic and conscientious-altruistic types of behavior were represented in the data obtained. Boys were significantly more altruistic on the behavioral measure, although girls were seen as most altruistic in teacher ratings. The lack of personality correlates of altruistic behavior among girls was related to other sex differences in the study, and certain methodological problems were discussed in relation to the findings reported.