Prosocial behavior

prosocial behavior

any act performed with the goal of benefiting another person, even if it’s for selfish reasons

altruism

the desire to help another person, even if it involves a cost to the helper

kin selection

idea that people help genetic relatives to ensure that their genetics get passed down, even if it isn’t directly by them

learning social norms

people who are accepted and taught by large group have an evolutionary advantage

norm of reciprocity

expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help you in the future, if someone does something for you, you feel the need to do something for them

social exchange theory

suggests that altruism doesn’t exist and people only help when the benefits of helping outweigh the costs

rewards of helping

-norm of reciprocity

-investment for when we need help in the future

-helping can relieve personal distress for a bystander

-social approval and increased self-worth

costs of helping

-physical danger

-pain

-embarrassment

-time

-money

empathy

ability to put oneself in someone else’s shoes and experience the emotions they do

empathy-altruism hypothesis

idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help them for purely altruistic reasons

when we have something in common with them

when do we feel the most empathetic for a person

3 basic motives for prosocial behavior

1. Instinctive reaction to promote welfare of people genetically similar to us

2. Rewards of helping outweigh the costs

3. empathy and compassion

altruistic personality

personality trait derived from agreeableness that makes someone more likely to help others, very small effect compared to situational factors

one time, dramatic displays

when are men more likely help

long-term, dedicated situations

when are women more likely to help

in group

group with which an individual identifies as a member

out-group

any group with which an individual does not identify

collectivistic cultures

are more likely to help in-group members but less likely to help anyone who is in the out-group

more likely to help in situations where efforts are obvious

religion and prosocial behavior

How good mood makes us act in prosocial ways

1. Make us look on the bright side of life

2. Helping prolongs our good mood

3. Good moods increase self-attention

increases helping behavior to “cancel out”

impact of feeling guilty on prosocial behavior

negative state relief hypothesis

people help in order to relieve their own sadness and distress

Two hypotheses for why people help more in small towns

1. Values and upbringing

2. Urban overload hypothesis

urban overload hypothesis

people who live in cities are constantly bombarded with stimulation and keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it

impact of residential mobility

people who’ve lived in an area for a long time are more attached to their community, interact with neighbors more, and face greater consequences for not helping

Steps of helping

1. Notice event

2. Interpret event as emergency

3. Assume responsibility

4. Know appropriate form of assistance

5. Implement help

Notice the event

first step of helping that is inhibited by a state of hurry or distraction

interpret event as an emergency

second step of helping in which people look to others and employ informational social influence to decide what is going on and whether action must be taken

pluralistic ignorance

bystanders assume that nothing is wrong because no one else looks concerned

assuming responsibility

third step of helping in which people either decide it is their job to help or diffuse blame to other bystanders

know how to help

fourth step of helping in which the person evaluates the needs of the victim and what needs to be done, along with whether you are the correct person to do so

deciding to implement help

final step of helping behavior in which you act on your decision

why people in urban areas don’t help

1. Urban overload

2. Compassion fatigue

3. Diffusion of responsibility

4. Victims are strangers

compassion fatigue

idea that lots of people need help which is impossible and means its not your problem

What to do if you need help

1. Reduce ambiguity and identify situation as emergency

2. Create empathy by finding friends, making eye contact, and smiling

3. Pick a specific person to ask for help

4. Specifically highlight needs

Door in face technique

initially asking for something large to decrease it to smaller and create illusion of compromise

Foot in door technique

asking for very little initially then building on it

foot in door followed by door in the face

most effective persuasion strategy