05/13 - Helping and Altruism

Helping

Behaviours that benefit other people

Altruism

Desire to help another, improve their welfare, regardless of rather we derive any benefit

• without conscious regard for self interest

Prosocial behaviour and altruism

• all altruistic behaviour is prosocial, not all prosocial behaviour is altruistic

Evolutionary Theory regarding why we help

• In some ways, altruism doesnt make evolutionary sense

  • In some situations we give up resources or risk our lives (and ability to pass on genes) in order to help others

• Helping has survival advantages too

  • Evolution doesnt care about our survival, but our genes

Kin selection

Helping your kin = helping your genes

• Our genes can be passed on by helping those who are genetically related to us (even at our cost)

  • Genes of those who follow kin selection rules are more likely to survive then whose who do not

• we are more likely to help ppl we are related to (increases with level of genetic relatedness)

  • This effect increases as risk level increases

  • There are obviously acceptions

  • More likely to save lives of ppl we are related to

Reciprocal helping (another evolutionary explanation)

• helping strangers increases your likelihood of survival because they will be more likely to help us

  • Genes of those who help community are more likely to be helped and pass on genes

• Norm of reciprocity

• Also builds “reputation bank”

  • This norm may relate to survival value

Direct reciprocity

• helping a specific individual who may help you later

Indirect reciprocity

Help a specific individual and someone else in the community will help you later

• community reciprocity

• Reputation is important here

Social exchange theory

We weigh costs and rewards of helping unconsciously

• calculation

• Rewards and costs can come in various forms (physical and emotional)

  • Helping can actually be rewarding in various ways

• If we can minimize costs and maximize rewards, we will do so

Benefits of helping according to social exchange theory)

• decrease in stress of seeing someone who needs help (aversive arousal)

• Dont want to break social norms (avoiding punishment)

• Can make us feel good

• Investment in reciprocity for future

How do must people react to seeing others suffering

• Most ppl dont like it and want to end that feeling (can be altruistic or egoistic)

What doesnt social exchange theory or evo theories explain

Why ppl help when it does not benefit themselves at all, like helping animals

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

• when we feel empathy for a person we will attempt to help them regardless of what we have to gain

  • Help motivated by empathy lasts longer than help without it

• Pure altruism

Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis - 2 components of empathy

• Personal distress (our not wanting to see it) — egoistic motive

  • Can be resolved by leaving situation

• Empathic concern (our not wanting it to happen) — altruistic motive

  • Will help regardless of if you can leave

    • Can happen at the same time

Egoism vs Altruism

• E = helper wants a return

• A = expects no return, motivated by empathy

How to tell the dif between egoistic and altruistic motives

• Egoistic = ppl will leave if they can to stop the discomfort

• Altruistic = ppl will help even if they can leave

Kitty Genovese

• murdered over the course of half an our and was yelling for help

• Many people saw and didnt help or call the police

• Beginning of bystander effect research

Bystander effect (formal definition)

The greater number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely it is that any one of them will help

• may be more likely to help when alone

  • Bc no diffusion of responsibility

Steps to intervening in an emergency

• Notice the event

• Interpret as emergency

• Assume responsibility

• Know how to help

• Decide to help

  • All of these steps must happen for help to be given

Good Samaritan study

• theological seminary students asked to give a talk about being a “Good Samaritan”

  • Biblical story about how outsiders help more

• When priests were in a bigger rush to get to the lecture, they ignored a staged “victim” more often

  • More likely to notice victim too

Pluralistic ignorance

Nobody else seems worried

• makes you less likely to interpret a situation as an emergency

• Ppl alone are more likely to interpret as emergency

Diffusion of responsibility

• we have noticed the emergency, but assume there are other people who will/can help

  • When were alone, its immediately on you

Gender and bystander effect

• men tend to show less of a bystander effect then women, but only when the situation is dangerous/would require physical strength

• No gender differences otherwise

How to get help in a crows

• reduce ambiguity and diffusion of responsibility by asking specific individuals for help

Urban overload hypothesis

• Ppl tend to help more in rural areas

• UOD = city dwellers are bombarded by stimuli and keep to themselves to avoid overload

Residential mobility and altruism

• if you’ve started in one place for a long time, more likely to be prosocial in community

Information about the victim

• Attractiveness

• Social status

• Danger level