Acknowledging feelings to enhance prosociality : emotional awareness and prosocial behaviors in adolescence

Abstract

Prosocial behavior is correlated with better social adjustment among adolescents, while emotional abilities are prominent factors that enhance prosocial behaviors. Attention to emotions and clarity of emotion were found as two core dimensions of emotional abilities. In the presented study the relationships between attention to emotion and clarity of emotion and prosocial behavior were examined with gender as a moderator. Two hundred and fourteen adolescents participated in the study (86 males). The participants filled in the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS), and Prosocial Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ). Two dimensions underlying the subscales of TAS-20 and TMMS were found: inattention to emotions and unclear emotion. Gender differences appeared in emotion awareness dimensions and prosocial behavior. Using structural equation modeling it was shown that inattention to emotion, yet not unclear emotion, inhibits prosocial behavior.