Social psych: 9/14/26 lecture

What is altruism?

• Increasing another's welfare without conscious regard for one's self-interests

Does altruism exist?

yes

1. Afghan villager mohammad gulab saved american navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell

-He is thinking of Luttrell's welfare without what's in it for me. He is risking his life, his family's life and the lives of villagers. But to him he was thinking you need to take care of him you don't leave him to die

Oscar Romero, El Salvador, 1980

1. spoke out against poverty,social injustice, assassinations and torture

1. Social worker during WWII

• She would save jewish kids, put them with christian family and have them change their name and pretend they are a part of that family. She saved 2000 kids. She was captured and beaten but then a bribe appeared and she was released.

Dorwan Stoddard,Arizona, 2011

• He shielded his wife during a shooting. He didnt think and stop “should i shield her” he just jumped into action and did it

WHY DO WE HELP?

Evolutionary psychology says that we help those that carry our genes. Because we want to carry our genes into the future. Most likely to help our kids/relatives

Sophie's choice (consistent with evolutionary psychology theory)

• Sophie's choice

- Given the choice to choose which one of her kids she wants to keep. When the soldiers are about to take them both she ends up choosing the boy because he can have more children, survive more during these times since he's a man, and he's older so more likely to survive these diseases. (consistent with evolutionary psychology)

1. Not consistent with evolutionary psychology theory (My dad’s choice)

• Her mom suffered from a series of strokes that left her paralyzed from the neck down

• Dr told her that its time for hospice

• Most ppl in hospice last 2 week because its the ‘end’

• Her dad said no and that he would take care of her

• She ended up living for 11 years

• While he was doing all of this he was also taking care of her brother/ his son who has autism and down syndrome and is nonverbal

• Non consistent with evolutionary psychology bc the dad is taking care of a woman who isn't going to give him more kids and a son who isn't going to reproduce or marry

1. Predictions of evolutionary psychology don't pan out in china and India

• In China they choose their parents bc its not evolutionary psychology its cultural

• Belief is strong in valuing parents (they gave u life and they are irreplaceable)

When do we help?

• When there are few bystanders. 

• When there are many bystanders we assume that someone has already helped

Kitty Genovesse (1964)

• Comes home from work and a man attacks her

• Ppl in the complex can see and hear but no one helps bc they assume someone has already called the police

• The attacker was afraid that he would get caught because he assumes ppl already called, but then he realizes no one is doing anything so he comes back to continue the assault

1. When someone else helps

1. Modeling 

• Micaela Shackleford: would take students to help out and volunteer. Went to a veteran facility to cook and Bui ended up doing it because she modeled helping for Bui. So bui copied her behavior

2. Conformity

• If we see others helping we feel pressured to do the same. 

• Subway commuters free man

• His foot gets stuck in the gap of the subway. Some ppl help him by tilting the train so he can free his foot. Other people see this and feel pressured to help so they help tilting the train as well.

When we are in a hurry

• Darley and batson (1973) (Good Samaritan) Luke 10:25-42

• They are too focused on going to the temple that they don't stop to help

• Experiment:

  • 2 independent variables

    • Topic of speech: careers after seminary or thoughts about Parable of Good Samaritan (half students and half of students)

    • Being in a hurry: yes or no (half were told you're already late for the recording, the other half said it's ok you can come when ur ready they’re still setting up)... OTW they encountered someone who needed help. Did the topic of speech matter whether they stopped or not? IT DID NOT

    • ^DOES BEING IN A HURRY AFFECT WHETHER THEY STOP OR NOT? YESSS

 bus driver loses consciousness

• A bus driver loses consciousness and one student comes to the rescue. 

• Why doesn't anyone else help?

• Every kid was on a device and wasn't paying attention. They didn't have situational awareness. He was the only one to help because he didn't have a cell phone

How can we increase helping?

1. Socializing altruism

• Teaching kids to help out

2. Practice effective altruism

3. Increase awareness of helping others lowers loneliness

• Connects us with other ppl

• One of the best ways to decrease loneliness is to volunteer bc it connects us with others and gets us out of focusing on ourselves

4. Use your strengths to help others