Explaining prosocial behavior: Why do people help?
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Transcript of Explaining prosocial behavior: Why do people help?
Explaining prosocial Explaining prosocial behavior: Why do people behavior: Why do people
help?help?
Michał WartońMichał Wartoń
Prosocial behaviorProsocial behavior
It is a helpful action It is a helpful action that benefits other that benefits other people without people without necessarily providing necessarily providing any direct benefits to any direct benefits to the person performing the person performing the act, and may even the act, and may even involve a risk for the involve a risk for the person who helps.person who helps.
Motives for prosocial behavior:Motives for prosocial behavior:
Unselfish motivesUnselfish motives
1.1. „„It was the right thing It was the right thing to do”to do”
2.2. „„That was the way my That was the way my parents rised me”parents rised me”
3.3. „„The Lord put me The Lord put me there for a reasonthere for a reason””
Selfish motivesSelfish motives
1.1. Hope for a rewardHope for a reward
2.2. Prospect of being Prospect of being rewarded by spending rewarded by spending all eternity in heavenall eternity in heaven
FOUR MAJOR THEORIESFOUR MAJOR THEORIESthat attempt to explain prosocial motivationthat attempt to explain prosocial motivation
Empathy-Altruism HypothesisEmpathy-Altruism HypothesisNegative-State Relief ModelNegative-State Relief ModelEmpathic Joy HypothesisEmpathic Joy Hypothesis
Genetic Determinism ModelGenetic Determinism Model
Empathy-Altruism HypothesisEmpathy-Altruism Hypothesis
It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is motivated solely by the desire to help motivated solely by the desire to help someone in need (Batson & Oleson, someone in need (Batson & Oleson, 1991).1991).
Person observes emergency
Empathy is aroused
Person provides help simply because victim needs help
and because it feels good to provide help
Empathy-Altruism HypothesisEmpathy-Altruism Hypothesis
„„It feels good to do good”It feels good to do good” Motivated solely by unselfish desire Motivated solely by unselfish desire Willing to engage in unpleasant, dangerous, Willing to engage in unpleasant, dangerous,
and even life-threating activityand even life-threating activity Truly valueTruly value Experimental procedure by Batson and his Experimental procedure by Batson and his
colleguescollegues1.1. Low empathyLow empathy
2.2. High empathyHigh empathy
Empathy avoidanceEmpathy avoidance
Most individuals seek Most individuals seek to avoid empathy to avoid empathy aroused, thus aroused, thus avoiding the need to avoiding the need to engage in something engage in something difficultdifficult
Shaw, Batson & Shaw, Batson & Todd’ s research Todd’ s research (1994)(1994)
Empathy and selective altruismEmpathy and selective altruismA person with resources can be motivated by:A person with resources can be motivated by:
egoism („First you take care of number one”)egoism („First you take care of number one”) empathy (directed at a single group member – empathy (directed at a single group member –
selective altruism for an individual who arouses selective altruism for an individual who arouses person’s emotions).person’s emotions).
Negative-State Relief ModelNegative-State Relief Model
It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is motivated by the bystander’s desire to motivated by the bystander’s desire to reduce his or her own uncomfortable reduce his or her own uncomfortable negative emotions (Cialdini, Baumann & negative emotions (Cialdini, Baumann & Kenrick, 1981).Kenrick, 1981).
Person observes
emergency
Negative affect is aroused by the emergency situation, or person is experiencing negative affect based on
something else
Peron provides help in order to reduce
own negative affect and make the helper
feel better
Emphatic Joy HypothesisEmphatic Joy Hypothesis
It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is It is the proposal that prosocial behavior is motivated by the positive emotion a helper motivated by the positive emotion a helper anticipates experiencing as the result of anticipates experiencing as the result of having a beneficial impact on the life of having a beneficial impact on the life of someone in need (Smith, Keating & someone in need (Smith, Keating & Stotland, 1989).Stotland, 1989).
Person observes emergency
Situation leads to desire to act and to have positive effect
on the victim
Person provides help In order to engage in an
activity that has successful outcome making the helper
feel good
Short summary:Short summary: Based on emotionsBased on emotions Affective state as a Affective state as a
crucial elementcrucial element Increase affect & Increase affect &
decrease negative affectdecrease negative affect Feeling good & feeling Feeling good & feeling
less badless bad Helper’s high Helper’s high
Depending on the specific Depending on the specific circumstances, each of circumstances, each of the three models can the three models can make accurate make accurate predictions about how predictions about how people will respondpeople will respond..
Genetic Determinism ModelGenetic Determinism Model
It is the proposal that behavior is driven by It is the proposal that behavior is driven by genetic attributes that evolved because genetic attributes that evolved because they enhanced the probability of they enhanced the probability of transmitting one’s genes to subsequent transmitting one’s genes to subsequent generations (Pinker, 1998)generations (Pinker, 1998)
Person observes
emergency
Unconscious desire to help occurs if the
person perceives the victim to be genetically
similar to himself or herself
Person provides help in order to maximize the chances of survival of
genes that are like those of the observer
Genetic Determinism ModelGenetic Determinism Model
We simply do so because we are built that wayWe simply do so because we are built that way Human is programmed with respect to:Human is programmed with respect to:
• HelpHelp• PrejudicePrejudice• AttractionAttraction• Mate selectionMate selection
Clutton- Brock explanation to selective perceptionClutton- Brock explanation to selective perception Both empathy and prosocial acts depend on the Both empathy and prosocial acts depend on the
similarity between victim and bystandersimilarity between victim and bystander No evidence of a gene that determines prosocial No evidence of a gene that determines prosocial
behaviorbehavior
SummarizingSummarizing
We respond to the needs We respond to the needs of others on the basis of a of others on the basis of a variety of motives. variety of motives. Regardless of the Regardless of the underlying reason for any underlying reason for any specific prosocial specific prosocial response, it can be response, it can be agreed that one very agreed that one very positive aspect of human positive aspect of human behavior is that we behavior is that we frequently are willing to frequently are willing to help those in need.help those in need.