Prosocial Behavior - Ch. 11

altruism

selfless or at a cost to ones self

no benefit to helping the other person

intrinsic motivation only

egoism

does things only for the benefit to the self

for reward/good feeling

social exchange theory

if we do something good for someone, we expect to get something good out of it from the other person

Empathy Altruism Hypothesis

we are driven to help people more when we feel some sort of empathy towards them

‘slacktivism’

doing the bare minimum to show your pro-socialness

private token activism promotes more prosocial behavior than public token activism

observing prosocial behavior/being observed

we want to be seen in a pro-social light, so when we see people do prosocial things and get rewarded, we also do those things when other people are watching

feel good-do good hypothesis

we are more prosocial when in a better mood

negative state release hypothesis

we do prosocial things to make ourselves feel better

most commonly triggered by guilt, least triggered by grief and anger

kin selection

we prioritize helping our family first

evolutionarily: to preserve genes and the ‘in-group’

social responsibility norm

says that you should help others when they need it

universal

evolutionary!!

reciprocity norm

direct: you help when you’ve been helped

indirect: you help with no expectation of help in return

evolutionary!!

signaling theory

evolutionary!!

we act prosocially to signal to others that you are a good person

attracts partners or an ingroup

contributing to public good shows you have plenty of resources for yourself (are doing well)

Fairness norm

everyone puts in their fair share

we need to feel our effort is justified

recipient characteristics

Attributions made to assess if person ‘deserves’ help

social identity and percieved group membership

we are more likely to help people in our in group

especially if you are recently thinking about why you value being in that group

prosocial gender roles

men likely to be heroic, chivalrous

women likely to be helpful longterm and nurturing

culture

when more value is placed on helpfulness people are more prosocial

religion

we are more prosocial towards same-religion

kitty genovese story

attacked in NYC at night, no one called first responders until it was too late (BYSTANDER EFFECT)

urban vs rural impediments to helping (hypothesis)

less likely to get help when more people are around because responsibility is dispersed too thinly

urban overload hypothesis

so much sensory input in urban environments makes us focus more and more on ourselves

bystander effect

The more people witnessing an emergency, the less likely it is that the victim will receive help

awareness of the bystander effect decreases the likelihood of it

bystander intervention tree

1. notice emergency

2. interpret it as an emergency

3. assume responsiblity

4. know how to implement help

5. decide to help