Prosocial Behavior

what does the empathy altruism hypothesis say about why we help?

we will attempt to help a person purely for altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain because we understand their plight.

How does the victims' responsibility play into whether they will be helped or not?

victims not personally responsible for circumstances are more likely to be helped

what are the five steps to helping?

1. Notice the event (distracted and failure to notice could prevent) 2. Interpret event as emergency (pluralistic ignorance and interpret as nonemergency) 3. Assume responsibility (diffusion of responsibility) 4. Know appropriate form of assistance (lack of knowledge/lack of competence to help) 5. Implement decision (danger to self/embarrassment

What are the four theories for why we help?

1. empathy-altruism: motivation is empathy 2. social exchange: we help to get help back later 3. negative state relief: motivation is negative affect 4. genetic determinism: motivation is protection of genes

norm of reciprocity

The expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future

bystander effect

The finding that a person is less likely to provide help when there are other bystanders

kin selection

The idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection

altruistic personality

The qualities that cause an individual to help others in a wide variety of situations

prosocial behavior

behavior intended to help others

What are the characteristics of an altruistic personality?

empathy belief in a just world social responsibility internal locus of control low egocentrism (not self-absorbed)

what are the gender differences in helping behavior?

men help in more heroic ways women help more in ways that require nurturance and commitment

What is the difference between altruistic behavior and prosocial behavior?

prosocial behavior is that which is done with intent to help others, while altruistic behavior is the same in that respect it adds the factor that the helper maybe injured in the process of helping/ does not benefit the helper in any way.

altruism

prosocial behavior that is done with no expectation of reward and may involve the risk of harm to oneself

diffusion of responsibility

reduction in feeling of personal responsibility in the presence of others

How does social exchange theory and empathy-altruism hypothesis differ?

social exchange theory posits that a person will only help another person if there is a benefit for that person, while empathy-altruism hypothesis states that a person will help another one even it will not benefit themselves.

empathy-altruism hypothesis

the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person purely for altruistic reasons regardless of what we have to gain.

pluralistic ignorance

the phenomenon in which people in a group misperceive the beliefs of others because everyone acts inconsistently with their beliefs.

urban overload hypothesis

the theory that people living in cities are constantly being bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it

empathy

understanding and entering into another's feelings