social psychology chap 9
negative effects of social exclusion
undermines self-esteem, leads people to feel isolated, leads people to feel less satisfied with their lives
do men or women engage in more prosocial behavior
about the same amount - but different types of prosocial behavior, differences are due to gender stereotypes
prosocial behavior
actions by individuals that help others, often with no immediate benefit to the helpers
why does helping others confer status
because helping others is costly and this suggests to other people that the individuals engaging in such behavior have desirable personal qualities
pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility
because none of bystanders knows for sure what is happening, each dependent the others to provide clues
negative reactions to being helped
being helped can threaten our self-esteem, make it feel like the person who is helping is superior
what does darkness encourage besides anonymity
the idea that we do not have to follow social norms
crowdfunding as a prosocial behavior
contributors will receive virtually nothing in return for their help so this is prosocial
key step #2 in deciding to help
correctly interpreting an event as an emergency - if others are acting as though nothing is wrong then due to pluralistic ignorance we will think there is no emergency
example of empathy
crying because you feel bad for your friend whose parent just died
key step #3 in deciding to help
deciding that it is your responsibility to provide help - if responsibility is not clear, people assume that anyone in a leadership role will take responsibility
key step #4 in deciding to help
deciding that you have the knowledge and/or skills to act
research about adolescents who are higher in empathic accuracy
empathic accuracy led to students responding appropriately to others and in turn lead to better relationships and social adjustment
motives for prosocial behavior
empathy-altruism hypothesis, negative-state relief, empathic joy, competitive altruism, kin selection theory, defensive helping
defensive helping
help given to members of outgroups to reduce the threat they pose to the status or distinctiveness of one's own ingroup - helping them in order to put them down
example of prosocial behavior
holding a door open for someone, helping a friend study for an exam, pulling someone out of the way of a car
cultural differences in empathic joy
it exists in all countries but in varying degrees due to individualism vs. collectivism
key step #1 in deciding to help
noticing, or failing to notice, that something unusual is happening
positive emotions and prosocial behavior
people are more willing to help a stranger when their mood has been elevated by some recent experience
competitive altruism
people help others to boost their own status and reputation
darkness and disinhibited behavior
people often engage in actions they would be reluctant to perform in broad daylight in the darkness because they feel anonymous
why social exclusion leads to a reduction in prosocial behavior
reduced feelings of empathy, a tendency to see people who rejected them as hurtful or aggressive and seeking to harm them, strong negative affect
how can a positive affect decrease prosocial behavior
sometimes being in a good mood can lead us to interpret various situations (emergencies) as not really serious
empathic concern
the feeling of concern for another person after observing and being moved by that person's needs
empathy-altruism hypothesis
the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person for purely altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain - we are only motivated by the desire to help someone in need
bystander effect
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present
diffusion of responsibility
the tendency for individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when they are surrounded by others who are acting the same way
putting an economic value on our time
to the extent that we think about helping as a loss of time that could be spent on making money for ourselves, we may be less likely to engage in prosocial behavior
social exclusion
when you are excluded from social groups
crowdfunding
a process in which entrepreneurs use the money contributed to set up and then run their companies
paying it forward
person you help may not help you, but if you are in a similar situation you could hope for and expect someone to help you
Kitty Genovese
woman whose murder in front of witnesses led to research on bystander effect
empathic accuracy
Perceiving others thoughts and feelings accurately, plays a role in social adjustment
accessible relationship
appears everywhere with little or no variation
Kitty Genovese situation
assaulted in NY, screaming for help, 38 people witnessed whole situation around apartments but NO one called police and murder came back and murdered her
functional relationship
exists when a behavior naturally produces a consequence
what is necessary for empathic joy to occur
feedback that their action's impact on the victim
elation
feelings of inspiration, uplifted, optimism
empathic joy hypothesis
helpers enjoy the positive reactions shown by others whom they help - it is crucial for the person who helps to know that his or her actions had a positive impact on the victim
reciprocal altruism
helping others with the expectation that they will probably return the favor in the future - explains why we help those we are not related to
factors that increase prosocial behavior
helping people similar to us, exposure to prosocial models, playing prosocial video games, feelings that reduce self-focus, socioeconomic status
negative emotions and prosocial behavior
if the act of helping others generates positive feelings, people in a bad mood are more likely to help as long as the negative feels are not too intense and the emergency is clear cut
exposure to prosocial models
least to an increase in helping behaviors among the remaining bystanders - even the symbolic presence of one or more helping models can increase prosocial behavior
key step #5 in deciding to help
making the final decision to provide help - can be inhibited by fears of potential negative consequences
are prosocial behavior and aggression opposites?
no - they have similar motivations, specific actions, and effects
darkness and prosocial behavior
no research but if prosocial behavior sometimes occurs cease it can be observed by others and is believed to win their approval, then darkness should reduce or eliminate this motive
effects of crowdfunding
positive - entrepreneurs acquire the funds they need to get started and the companies they start often provide jobs and contribute to economic growth
playing prosocial video games
primes prosocial thoughts and schemas, repeated exposure can generate attitudes favorable to prosocial actions - effects are both strong and lasting
deinividuation
reduced state of self-awareness that encourages impulsive behavior - when people feel anonymous, they may perform actions they would not perform under other conditions
emotional empathy
the ability to feel what the other person is experiencing in a particular situation
empathy
the capacity to be able to experience others' emotional states, feel sympathetic toward them, and take their perspective
mirror neurons in empathy
the higher an individuals capacity to experience empathy, the greater activity in mirror neuron regions
negative state relief model
the proposition that people help others in order to counteract their own negative feelings
example of competitive altruism
volunteering and publicly showcasing it in order to gain status
example of empathic joy hypothesis
wanting to help someone carry their groceries to their car so that you get that satisfying feeling when they say thank you
defensive altruism
when an outgrip achieves success that threatens the in-group, the in-group will help the outgroup so that they seem dependent on help from a "superior" group
when are men more likely to engage in prosocial behavior
when the person they are helping is a stranger or a friend, more likely to risk their own lives
if a person is similar to you, are you more likely to help them?
yes - similarity to others increases our empathic concern for them and our understanding of what they are experiencing
do people of a lower SES engage in prosocial behavior more than those of a higher SES?
yes - the less financial resources people have, the more generous they will be because they feel more dependent on others also because they have less control over their lives which leads them to form stronger connections to others to face the same situation
factors that reduce prosocial behavior
social exclusion, feelings on anonymity, putting an economic value on our time
kin selection theory
the key goal for all organisms is getting genes into the next generation of species and because we want our genes to be passed on we are more likely to help young people that we are closely related to
mirror neurons in empathy with autism
people with autism are characterized by reduced capacity to experience empathy, and individuals with autism show reduced activity in the mirror neuron system
when are women more likely to engage in prosocial behavior
when these actions involve people with whom they have personal relationships with rather than strangers
feelings that reduce focus on ourselves and prosocial behavior
when we experience awe, our concern for ourselves and our worries, can increase our tendency to help others
feelings of elation and helping others
when we see another person engaging in a kind or helpful act it can trigger elation and increases our tendency to engage in prosocial behavior
example of the negative state relief model
you had to cancel a big trip and you are very disappointed so you are more likely to help someone jump their car than if you were in a good mood
