Prediction of altruism of pyschological counselor candidates according to emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity and social desirability.

Altruism, which is the subject of this research, in general means to help someone without waiting for a response. Psychological counseling is a professional help. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between the altruism of psychological counselor candidates and their emotional intelligences, cultural sensitivities and social desirabilities. Within the scope of the research, 542 undergraduate students studying at private and public universities in Istanbul, Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance were reached. 416 of the counselor candidates participating in the study were female, 126 of them were male. The research was organized in accordance with the relational screening model. In order to collect data, Altruism Scale, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Intercultural Sensitivity Scale, Good Impression Scale and Personal Information Form developed by the researcher were used. For the analysis of the data, independent sample t-Test, one-way ANOVA and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were used. According to the result of the research, there is no significant difference between the altruistic levels of psychological counselor candidates in terms of gender but there is a significant difference in terms of university and class levels. In addition, it was concluded that emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity and social desirability predict altruism. It is understood that the variance in altruism is mostly explained by cultural sensitivity, followed by social desirability, and least by emotional intelligence. In line with the results of the research, it is suggested that the number and contents of the course should be increased in a way that the students will have more comprehensive knowledge about cultural infrastructures, increase their awareness, empathy levels, realistic perspectives and interaction with different individuals. Outside of the course, it is recommended that social responsibility projects, club activities and erasmus opportunities that will support these achievements should be supported by both academic staff and university management.