American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

This study examined the emotional response and social influence as correlates of empathetic behaviour tendency among baccalaureate (Undergraduate) nursing studentsfrom the Ondo State Schools of Nursing and Midwifery, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.The study was a correlational survey designconducted among 116baccalaureate nursing Studentswho were sampled using snowballing technique sampling technique. Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue); Self Monitoring Scale (SMS) and Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents (IECA) were used to measure key variables in the study. Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) analysis was conducted to test the relationship among the study variables. The result revealed that emotional response showed significant relationship withempathetic behaviouramong baccalaureate nursing Students[β = .38; p <0.01]. Social Influence had a significant relationship with empathetic behaviour among baccalaureate nursing students at a significant level [β = .54; p <0.01] among baccalaureate nursing students. The joint contributions of the predictor variables were also significant [R2= .562, F = 43.10; p < .05].Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) must integrate studies on empathy and social influence in understanding human behaviour in the nursing and midwifery curriculum in other to encourage the tradition and ecological demands of empathetic behaviour within the society.