The association between moral identity and prosocial behavior among college students: multiple mediating effects of moral sensitivity and moral disengagement

The present study aims to further elucidate the underlying associations through which moral identity is positively related to prosocial behavior among college students by examining the mediating roles of moral sensitivity and moral disengagement. A total of 502 undergraduate students participated in the survey, completing the Moral Identity Scale, the Dispositional Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire, the Moral Disengagement Scale, and the Prosocial Tendencies Measure. The results revealed several key findings. First, both internalized and symbolized moral identity were significantly and positively correlated with moral sensitivity and prosocial behavior. Specifically, internalized moral identity was negatively associated with moral disengagement, while symbolized moral identity showed no significant correlation with moral disengagement. Moral sensitivity was positively associated with both moral disengagement and prosocial behavior, whereas moral disengagement was negatively associated with prosocial behavior. Second, moral sensitivity and moral disengagement played multiple mediating roles in the relationship between internalized moral identity and prosocial behavior, showing three distinct indirect pathways: the independent mediation of moral sensitivity, the independent mediation of moral disengagement, and a chained mediation involving both variables. Third, in the relationship between symbolized moral identity and prosocial behavior, the mediating role of moral sensitivity alone and the chained mediation involving both moral sensitivity and moral disengagement were also supported. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive description of the psychological processes through which moral identity is positively associated with prosocial behavior among college students, with findings consistent with the proposed mediation model. The results offer valuable theoretical insights and practical implications for moral education and behavioral development in higher education settings, though causal interpretations should be made with caution due to the cross-sectional design.