How Vietnamese university students conceptualize prosocial behavior: A qualitative exploration in a collectivist cultural context

Abstract

Prosocial behavior has been widely examined in Western psychological literature; however, less is known about how such behaviors are conceptualized and motivated in collectivist societies. This qualitative study explores Vietnamese university students’ understandings of prosocial behavior, the forms it takes, the motivations underlying helping actions, and the perceived recipients of such behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten university students from diverse academic backgrounds at universities in northern and southern Vietnam. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four overarching themes emerged: (a) lay conceptualizations of prosocial behavior, (b) types of prosocial behavior, (c) motivations for prosocial action, and (d) recipients of prosocial behavior. While participants’ definitions broadly aligned with universal conceptions of helping, culturally embedded patterns were evident, including filial piety, role-based and compliant helping, spiritual beliefs related to karma, and emerging forms of digitally mediated helping. These findings suggest that participants understood prosocial behavior through relational, moral, and sociocultural frameworks that both align with and extend existing theoretical models. However, the findings are based on a small qualitative sample and should be interpreted as context-specific rather than broadly representative.