The interplay of traits and motives on volunteering: Agreeableness, extraversion and prosocial value motivation

Gustavo Carlo, Morris A. Okun, George P. Knight, Maria Rosario T de Guzman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

282 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social psychology and personality theorists have proposed that our understanding of prosocial behavior will be enhanced by examining the interplay of traits and motives. The present study was designed to test several pathways by which agreeableness, extraversion, and prosocial value motivation to volunteer influence volunteerism. A sample of 796 college students completed measures of the Big Five traits, prosocial value motivation to volunteer, and volunteering. Results of path analyses showed that prosocial value motivation to volunteer partially mediated the relations between agreeableness and extraversion, and volunteering. Furthermore, as agreeableness decreased, extraversion was more strongly related to prosocial value motivation to volunteer. In contrast, there was no support for the pathway in which extraversion and prosocial value motivation to volunteer jointly affect volunteering. Discussion focuses on the utility of examining the links among traits and motives in predicting volunteering.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1293-1305
Number of pages13
JournalPersonality and Individual Differences
Volume38
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2005

Keywords

  • Agreeableness
  • Extraversion
  • Motivation
  • Motives
  • Personality
  • Prosocial behaviors
  • Traits
  • Volunteering

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Psychology

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