University Social Responsibility: Influence of values and empathy on self-attribution of socially responsible behaviors

Training socially responsible professionals at university level has become a UNESCO-recognized mission. This paper reviews the study of Academic Social Responsibility from the Psychology standpoint, and develops a novel analysis approach for assessing the impact of higher education in acquiring social responsibility behaviors, based on a MIMIC analysis. Three scales were administered, based on an accidental non-probabilistic sampling and a transversal survey research: human values, multidimensional empathy and self-attribution of socially responsible behaviors. The sample included 860 students from Ibero-American Universities. The results show that university students display a high frequency of socially responsible behaviors but not a more prosocial intentionality in these behaviors. As regards frequency scale of socially responsible behavior, influence is evident of value dimensions, such as conservation and openness to change with the subscales of empathy perspective taking and personal distress. Regarding the intentionality scale, the variables that contribute to the self-attribution of socially responsible behavior are value dimensions: conservation and self-transcendence, along with the subscales of empathy appertaining to fantasy. Conclusion: This research provides information on the psychological variables that have implications for humans to be socially responsible, which will allow the University to respond to the impact of training qualified professionals with great respect to their duty in the society. Copyright (C) 2011, Konrad Lorenz University Foundation. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.