Prosocial Behavior

What is prosocial behavior?

Doing something that is good for other people or for society as a whole

Provide examples of prosocial behavior.

Obeying rules, conforming to socially accepted standards, cooperating, helping

What is altruistic helping?

Goal is increasing another’s welfare

What is egoistic helping?

Goal is increasing own welfare

In the empathy-altruism hypothesis, how do empathy and personal distress differently motivate helping?

• Empathy → Altruism: Goal is to relieve their suffering. You help even when escape is easy.

• Personal Distress → Egoism: Goal is to relieve your own discomfort. You leave if escape is easy.

What is Batson et al. (1981)

In a situation in which it was easy to leave without helping (could leave after only two shock trials), egoistically motivated people (those who believed their values and interests were different from the participant’s) were less likely to help than altruistically motivated people (those who believed they had similar values and interests as the participant)

Regarding helping, religious individuals are more likely to give

long-term, intentional help

Regarding helping, men are more likely to…

help in public, help strangers, and help in emergency situations

Regarding helping, women are more likely to…

help close others and give long-term help

Regarding helping, women ask for and receive…

help more often than men

People who believe in a “just world” are…

Not helpful towards victims they perceive to be responsible for their own predicament, but may help others if they believe helping others will result in good outcomes for themselves