Exploring the Relationship of Empathy, Materialism, Selfishness and Altruism among University Students in Pakistan

This study aimed to examine the role of empathy in balancing materialism, selfishness and altruism among young adults in the university students of Karachi, Pakistan. It was hypothesised that individuals with lower levels of empathy showed high materialism and selfishness and demonstrated lower tendencies of altruism. A quantitative research design was employed, with participants aged 18-25 from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Various standardised scales were used, including the Material Value Scale (MVS-15), the Empathy Assessment Scale (EAS-13), the Self-reported Altruism Scale (SRAS-9), and the Selfishness Questionnaire (SQ-24) to assess the relationship among the variables. The study further examined the gender difference among the variables. The results indicate that empathy is positively correlated with altruism and negatively correlated with selfishness and materialism. Empathy promotes prosocial behaviour and serves as a protective factor against self-centred behaviour. Moreover, gender differences show no significant difference in the variables (empathy, altruism, selfishness, and materialism). The results carry implications for education, policy making, and health care, awareness based on empathy-based training to reduce self-centred behaviour while fostering selfless behaviour, promoting community well-being.