Prosocial Behavior Flashcards

Flashcards about Prosocial Behavior

Prosocial Behavior

Action by an individual that is intended to benefit another individual/set of individuals; the key aspect is the intention to help others.

Egoistic Motives

Individuals help when the perceived benefits outweigh the costs; driven by the desire to alleviate personal distress.

Altruism

Desire to help another purely for the other person’s benefit, regardless of whether we derive any benefit.

Kin Selection

Natural selection led to greater tendencies to help close kin than to help those with whom we have little genetic relationship.

Norm of Reciprocity

If I help you today, you might be more likely to help me tomorrow.

Social Exchange Theory

Individuals help others based on a cost-benefit analysis; people are more likely to help when the perceived benefits outweigh the costs.

Cost-Reward Model

Witnessing someone in distress causes an unpleasant arousal, which individuals are motivated to reduce.

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

Empathy concern for another person can lead to truly altruistic helping behavior, regardless of personal gain.

Empathy

Feeling compassion for someone in need, leading to helping behavior aimed at benefiting that person.

Personal Distress

Self-focused + may lead to helping as a means to alleviate one’s own discomfort.

Negative State Relief Hypothesis

People help others to alleviate their own negative emotions; motivated by the desire to improve one’s mood rather than genuine concern.

Empathy Gap

Underestimation of other people’s experience of physical pain as well as the pain of social rejection.

Personal Guilt

Feeling responsible for someone else’s distress can prompt individuals to help as a means of alleviating their own guilt.

Collective Guilt

Awareness of one’s group’s historical/societal advantages can lead to feelings of guilt, motivating actions aimed at rectifying injustices.

Communal Orientation

Frame of mind in which people do not distinguish between what is theirs + what is someone else’s

Priming

Psychological phenomenon where exposure to certain stimuli influences subsequent thoughts, feelings, or behaviors without conscious awareness.

Bystander Effect

Phenomenon in which a person who witnesses another in need is less likely to help when there are other bystanders present to witness the event.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Present of others leads individuals to feel less personal responsibility to act.

Pluralistic Ignorance

When bystanders assume nothing is wrong because others are not reacting, leading to inaction.

Urban Overload Hypothesis

People in densely populated areas are less likely to help due to being overwhelmed by stimuli + tune out non-essential information.

Altruistic Personality

Collection of personality traits, such as empathy, that render some people more helpful than others.