ArticleFrontiers in psychology2026
Cognitive and existential-motivational pathways from empathy to prosocial behavior: a parallel mediation study in a Chinese university sample.
Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Objective: This study examined a parallel mediation model in which empathy was hypothesized to be associated with prosocial behavior through two theoretically distinct pathways: a capability-oriented pathway via self-efficacy and an existential-motivational pathway via meaning in life, among Chinese university students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 1,549 university students ( Results: Empathy showed a significant positive direct association with prosocial behavior (c' = 0.175, Conclusion: These findings are consistent with a model of prosocial motivation in which empathy is associated with prosocial behavior through both a capability-oriented (self-efficacy) and a smaller, more tentative existential-motivational (meaning in life) indirect pathway. Given the cross-sectional design, these results should be interpreted as patterns of association rather than causal mechanisms; interventions incorporating both capability-building and meaning-making components alongside empathy training may offer complementary benefits for fostering prosocial engagement, pending validation through prospective intervention research.
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