ch.10 social psychology

Altruistic motivation

Motivated by the desire to improve another's welfare

Egotistic motivation

Motivated by the desire to increase one's own welfare

Empathy-altruism hypothesis

taking the perspective of a person in need creates feelings of empathic concern, which produce the altruistic motive to reduce the other person's distress. When people do not take the other's perspective, they experience feelings of personal distress, which produce the egoistic motive to reduce their own discomfort.

Diffusion of responsibility

the belief that others will or should intervene in providing assistance to a person in need.

Five steps in helping in an emergency situation (examples and noting the obstacles to helping associated with each.)

1.) Notice that something is happening -distraction, self-concerns could stop you from noticing 2.) Interpret event as an emergency -ambiguity, possible relationship between attacker and victim, and pluralistic ignorance could prevent interpreting the event as an emergency 3.) Take responsibility for providing help -diffusion of responsibility could prevent taking responsibility 4.) Decide how to help -lack of competence could prevent you from deciding how to help 5.) Provide help -audience inhibition and costs exceeding rewards could prevent you from actually providing the help

Bystander effect

As the numbers of observers increase, people are less likely to take action to help

(helping) Attractiveness

Attractive people are more likely to be offered help and cooperation across multiple settings. In addition to physical attractiveness, interpersonal attractiveness is also related to receiving more help.

altruism-egoism debate

Batson: developed empathy-altruism hypothesis, demonstrating the existence of helping that is motivated by altruistic rather than egoistic concerns Cialdini: developed negative state relief model, suggesting that we act out of egoistic concerns

Emotional components of empathy

Empathic concern: which involves other-oriented feelings, such as sympathy, compassion, and tenderness. Personal distress: which involves self-oriented reactions to a person in need, such as feeling alarmed, troubled, or upset .

(helping) Attributions of responsibility

Feeling more pity and helpful towards a person in need when the situation was uncontrollable (contracting AIDS through blood transfusion), than towards someone in need whose situation was controllable (contracting AIDS through sexual activity or drug use.)

(helping) Similarity and Ingroups

Helping those just like us: We are more likely to help those who are similar to us (dress, attitude, nationality) We are more likely to be attracted to and develop relationships, empathize more with those who are similar.

(helping) Closeness

People are usually more helpful to those they know and care about than they are to strangers or superficial acquaintances. People in a communal relationship (such as close friends or romantic partners) feel mutual responsibility for each other's needs. People in an exchange relationship (such as acquaintances or business associates) give help with the expectation of receiving comparable benefits in return.

Cognitive component of empathy

Perspective taking: using the power of imagination to try to see the world through someone else's eyes

Audience Inhibition

Reluctance to help for fear of making a bad impression on observers.

Negative state relief model

The proposition (by Robert Cialdini and his colleagues 1987) that people help others in order to counteract their own feelings of sadness.

Arousal: Cost-reward model

The proposition that people react in the most cost-effective way in emergency situations to reduce the arousal of shock and alarm.

Pluralistic ignorance

The state of ignorance, each individual believes that his or her own thoughts and feelings are different from those of other people, when in fact, many of the other people are thinking or feeling the same way.

Social Norms

These norms embody standards of socially approved and disapproved behavior.

Empathy

Understanding or experiencing another individual's perspective and feeling sympathy and compassion for that individual.

Norm of social responsibility

dictates that people should help those who need assistance. This norm creates a sense of duty and obligation, to which people respond by giving more help to those in greater need of it.

Norm of reciprocity

establishes quid-pro-quo transactions as a socially approved standard. People who give to you should be paid back.

(helping) Gender

women seek help more often than men do; men are seen as more helpful historically (as "knights in shining armor", emergency situations); women tend to help friends and loved ones in non-emergencies