THE IMPACT OF EMPATHY AND VALUES ALTRUISM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

THE IMPACT OF EMPATHY AND VALUES ALTRUISM IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

CHAPITER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 THE STUDY’S BACKGROUND

According to Watson (2002), empathy is defined as an emotional state brought on by the internal creation of a mirror image of another person’s emotional state combined with an attitude of goodwill. According to (Bar-Tal, 1976), this ability is crucial in social life and is thought to have the power to stimulate social behaviors, which are linked to group cohesiveness and present in all people, regardless of gender (Austin, 1979). According to Eisenberg-Berg (1979), empathy is considered as a crucial element for both men’s and women’s effective performances and interpersonal reactions.

An individual’s empathic inclination is the capacity to exhibit empathy. An empathic disposition is defined as the capacity to understand a fellow student’s feelings and be affected by their emotional experiences, as well as the desire to assist. From this vantage point, empathy tendencies are used as a standard for identifying altruistic behavior and have a positive impact on altruistic behavior. Altruistic actions that try to lessen others’ suffering have been connected to empathy propensity and aptitude. People who tend to be sympathetic are more likely to help someone they feel is in need (Batson, 2002).

According to definitions of altruism, it is the act of paying attention to and caring for others without any motives other than the desire to help and benefit them or keep them safe. According to Watson, Fultz, Schoenrade, and Paduano (1987), altruistic behaviors are actions that elicit a favorable response to the needs and welfare of others with the intention of helping and benefiting others. Examples of these actions include giving, loving, respecting others, working together, preventing harm to others, and empathizing with others.

The ability to empathize with others is what Bar-Tal (1976), who put forth the concept of empathy and concentrated on characterizing the traits and characteristics of altruistic people, characterizes as this activity. He made the case that people are more likely to perform acts of altruism or engage in altruistic behavior if they can understand and empathize with the challenges of those who are in need. Greater empathy for others’ issues makes people more sympathetic, affectionate, and more likely to provide frequent and effective aid (Batson, Fultz, Schoenrade, & Paduano, 1987).

Value in ethics refers to the significance of an object or activity with the aim of determining which actions are best to carry out or how to live, or describing the relevance of various actions. The principles are what guide your decisions about what is right and wrong and how to behave in different circumstances. Altruism is the act of sacrificing oneself for the benefit of others, regardless of the pecuniary or interpersonal benefits to the performer. This definition is dependent on the actor’s motivation: A deed may only be considered altruistic if it is driven by concern for the welfare of others. In other words, the motivation behind altruistic behavior is the need to support one’s own moral beliefs (Batson, Bolen, Cross, & Neuringer-Benefiel, 1986).

Altruism is a prosocial behavior that could be connected to the learning goals for 21st-century skills that all students should accomplish in order to be ready for postsecondary education. Social psychology, which focuses on people as unique beings, is the foundation of altruism. People “act out of concern for our own well-being rather than any true or altruistic care for the welfare of others” (Emler, & Rushton, 1974), in accordance with the social psychology perspective. The term “altruism” refers to actions that are taken out of care for the welfare of others, as opposed to every ethically justified treatment of others. Because these adjectives also convey the idea of behaving for the wellbeing of others rather than just acting appropriately toward others, they can also be used to define altruistic actions.

Emotion frequently influences how moral judgments and values are held by people. Additionally, it seems that valuing moral principles and interpersonal connections promotes altruism. According to Eisenberg-Berg (1979), empathy and values altruism positively affect students’ academic progress and academic achievement-related behaviors. Positive affections like as altruism have been shown to enhance social and cognitive functioning as well as interpersonal interactions (Batson, Duncan, Ackerman, Buckley, & Birch, 1981). The unique structure of values explains a lot of the conscious actions people take in pursuit of their own goals in both the personal and societal spheres. Altruistic activity may be motivated by personal considerations for the interests and well-being of others, such as those that fit within a larger set of moral principles.

SITUATION OF THE PROBLEM

By giving students supervised opportunities to engage in a variety of charitable endeavors, schools can promote the growth of empathy and altruism. The particular motives of university students who exhibit empathy for their classmates are not well understood. The development of students who meet the social and psychological goals of an empathetic person will be aided by understanding the motivations and perceived advantages of empathy and value altruism, as well as supporting the development of students who meet these goals. There is a lack of current study on the reasons why high school pupils are sympathetic as well as the benefits they consider these qualities to have (Emler & Rushton, 1974).

1.3 STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

Examining the effects of empathy and values altruism in university students is the main goal of this study. The following are additional study goals:

i. To gauge pupils’ level of understanding of empathy and altruistic principles

ii. To determine how university students’ values altruism and empathy interact.

iii. To investigate the effects of empathy and values-based altruism on university students’ academic performance.

iv. To investigate how university students might demonstrate empathy and altruistic attitudes.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

The study will provide answers to the following research questions.

i. To what extent are pupils conscious of empathy and altruistic values?

ii. How do university students’ attitudes of altruism and empathy relate to one another?

iii. Does empathy and generosity have an effect on pupils’ academic success?

iv. How can university students demonstrate empathy and altruistic values?

1.5 RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER STUDIES

The results of this study will demonstrate the connection between empathy and values altruism and the effects it has on students’ academic ability, which will be extremely helpful to the field of psychology. Because it will highlight the benefits of empathy and generosity in daily life, this study will also be helpful to children, parents, and society as a whole.

Finally, the academics will profit from this study because it will provide current information for future research and references.

1.6 THE STUDY’S SCOPE

The impact of empathy and values altruism in university students will be the main topic of this study. Additionally, it will concentrate on the connection between empathy and values-based altruism and how it affects university students’ academic success.

Participants in this study will be University of Calabar students from the Cross River State.

Limitations of the study: 1.7

The impact of empathy and values altruism in university students will be the exclusive focus of this investigation. Additionally, it will be restricted to the connection between empathy and values-based altruism and how it affects university students’ academic success. The difficulties faced by empathic and altruistic students will not be the subject of this study, nor will it offer any solutions.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

Impact: a noticeable result or effect

Empathy is the capacity to comprehend and experience another person’s emotions.

Values are the regard that one accords anything in order to assess its significance, value, or utility.

Altruism is the unselfish, uninterested concern for the welfare of others.