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Adult Helping Behavior Motives Questionnaire

Adult Helping Behavior Motives Questionnaire Test

Understand what drives adults to help others in about 6 minutes. Get clear, actionable insights to support coaching, HR, and clinical or research work.

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Questions: 306 minutes

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08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

26147 views

1368 completions

1117 likes

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

24/30

Psychological Defense (PD)

Measures the extent to which helping others is motivated by reducing one’s own negative feelings and supporting self-esteem.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 13: Low | 14 – 23: Moderate | 24 – 30: High

A score of 24 falls in the High range, suggesting helping may often function as a way to restore inner comfort and reinforce self-worth.

example score

22/30

Self-Actualization (SA)

Self-actualization measures the extent to which helping others is motivated by personal growth and the development of social skills.

Lower self-actualization motive

Moderate self-actualization motive

Higher self-actualization motive

6 – 14: Lower self-actualization motive | 15 – 24: Moderate self-actualization motive | 25 – 30: Higher self-actualization motive

A score of 22 suggests a moderate tendency to help others as a way to learn, grow, and strengthen interpersonal effectiveness.

example score

18/30

Interpersonal Attraction (IA)

Interpersonal Attraction measures the extent to which helping behavior is driven by empathy, compassion, and interpersonal closeness.

Lower

Moderate

Higher

6 – 15: Lower | 16 – 24: Moderate | 25 – 30: Higher

A score of 18 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting helping is often influenced by empathy and warmth, though this motive may vary by situation and relationship.

example score

20/30

Social Adaptation (SA)

Measures how strongly a person is motivated to help in order to fit into a group and meet shared expectations, sometimes prioritizing collective needs over personal interests.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 12: Low | 13 – 22: Moderate | 23 – 30: High

A score of 20 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a fairly consistent tendency to help as a way to maintain group harmony and fulfill social responsibilities without this being the dominant motive.

example score

25/30

Social Identification (SI)

Measures how strongly helping behavior is driven by a sense of belonging to a social group and internalized cultural norms.

Low

Moderate

High

6 – 12: Low | 13 – 23: Moderate | 24 – 30: High

A score of 25 falls in the High range, suggesting helping is often motivated by strong group identification and alignment with shared values and norms.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Counselors and Social Workers

41%OF USERS

They use it to understand clients’ helping motives and tailor support plans, boundaries, and interventions.

HR and Team Leaders

34%OF USERS

They take it to map what drives prosocial behavior in teams and improve cooperation, recognition, and role fit.

Coaches and Self-Helpers

25%OF USERS

They want clarity on why they help others and how motives like self-actualization or psychological defense shape their choices.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

RESULTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE

What You’ll See After You Finish the Test

Scale Results
— Explained Clearly

Your scores across each test scale, translated into plain, usable insights. Not just numbers, but what they actually mean for your daily life, emotional state, and overall well-being.

AI-Powered
Interpretation

A structured, clinically grounded explanation. Our AI analyzes patterns and relationships between scales to provide a coherent interpretation — without alarmist language.

Statistical
Comparison

See how you compare to others. Your scores are placed in a statistical context, showing percentiles and trends based on anonymized platform data to help you understand what`s typical.

Practical
Recommendations

Actionable guidance tailored to your profile. Receive clear, realistic suggestions you can apply immediately — focused on coping, self-regulation, and realistic next steps.

AI-Detected
Insights

Key patterns you might not notice on your own. Surfacing subtle connections in your responses that help you better understand what may be driving your current results.

Discuss with
an AI Psychologist

Clarify, reflect, and explore right away. Talk through your outcomes, ask questions, and explore meanings in a calm, non-diagnostic dialogue environment.

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Used in 52+ countries

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you finish the test, your results will be compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of the benchmarks we use to place your score in context.

Psychological Defense (PD)

Average

23.5

Normal range

19.3 — 27.6

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Self-actualization (S)

Average

14.3

Normal range

9.9 — 18.7

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Interpersonal Attraction (IA)

Average

Normal range

8.7 — 17.2

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Social Adaptation (SA)

Average

19.2

Normal range

16.1 — 22.3

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

Social Identification (SI)

Average

Normal range

9.7 — 16.4

min.

max.

majority

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear here so you can see where you land.

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CLEAR ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this questionnaire measure?

It assesses common motives that can underlie helping behavior in adults. It covers social identification, social adaptation, interpersonal attraction, self-actualization, and psychological defense.

Who is the questionnaire intended for?

It is intended for adult respondents in research, counseling, organizational, and training settings. It is used to describe patterns of prosocial motivation rather than to assign a diagnosis.

How long does it take and how many items are included?

It includes 30 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Completion time may vary by reading speed and response style.

How should items be answered?

Select the response that best reflects typical reasons for helping in everyday situations. Answer all items and avoid spending excessive time on any single item.

How should results be interpreted?

Scores indicate the relative strength of different motives for helping. Results should be interpreted in context and, when used for decisions, combined with other information.

WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Questionnaire on the Motives for Helping Behavior in Adults Test

Adult Helping Behavior Motives Questionnaire Test - Symptoms and Signs

help prosociality

This questionnaire assesses self-reported motivations that may underlie prosocial behavior in adults. The Adult Helping Behavior Motives Questionnaire is intended to clarify common reasons individuals may choose to help others, supporting both research and applied clinical or organizational assessment. It was developed by C. Daniel Batson and Nancy Eisenberg.

The measure includes 30 items and typically takes about 6 minutes to complete. Items sample multiple motivational domains, including social identification, social adaptation, interpersonal attraction, self-actualization, and psychological defense. Results from the Adult Helping Behavior Motives Questionnaire can be used to characterize patterns of helping-related motivation and to inform case conceptualization, program planning, or intervention targets when helping behavior is clinically or contextually relevant.

Author: C. Daniel Batson, Nancy Eisenberg

Literature: Penner, L. A., Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., & Schroeder, D. A. Prosocial behavior: Multilevel perspectives. Annual Review of Psychology. 2005.

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