| Concern about change in community is a prevalent theme in discussions of contemporary American society. Evidence suggests that as people become more disconnected from one another, community engagement, volunteerism, and other prosocial behavior declines. Traditionally, community has been conceptualized in terms of a specific geographical location and interpersonal relationships. Rather than focusing on the collapse of what we have traditionally defined as community, a new conceptualization of Psychological Sense of Global Community (PSGC) was explored.;In the current research, a conceptual model was tested in which three personality characteristics were hypothesized to relate to PSGC: universal orientation, empathic concern, and humanitarian values. In turn, it was hypothesized that PSGC would relate to numerous types of prosocial behavior. Further, it was expected that the relationship between PSGC and prosocial behavior would be moderated by a Sense of Global Social Responsibility (SGSR).;Two studies were conducted to test the model. In Study 1, a sample of older adults (N = 131, Mage = 80.5) responded to a questionnaire containing measures of all of the constructs in the model. In Study 2, younger adults (N = 193, Mage = 21.3) responded to a questionnaire that included an expanded set of all Study 1 measures, and new measures of perspective-taking and future prosocial behavior.;Support for the model was found in both samples. The personality characteristics were each positively related to PSGC, as well as to prosocial behavior. The relationships between personality and behavior, however, were fully mediated by PSGC. Further, the relationship between PSGC and prosocial behavior was moderated by SGSR, such that the relationship between PSGC and prosocial behavior was stronger for those participants who felt a SGSR.;This topic is timely in light of current world events, suggesting that communities, countries, and cultures are not isolated from one another. Research on PSGC and its correlates has the potential to contribute to the understanding and improving of negative social conditions. Evidence that individuals with PSGC are more likely to act prosocially, in service to, and for the benefit of others, can inform interventions geared toward heightening citizen engagement and global cooperation. |
