CHAPTER 8 (helping and altruism) Flashcards
altruism
any behaviour that is designed to increase another person’s welfare, and particularly those actions that do not seem to provide a direct reward to the person who performs them
reciprocal altruism
is the idea that if we help other people now, they will return the favour should we need their help in the future
social exchange
we frequently use each other to gain rewards and to help protect ourselves from harm
reciprocity norm
a social norm reminding us that we should follow the principles of reciprocal altruism
social responsibility norm
we should try to help others who need assistance, even without any expectation of future payback
macbeth effect
the observation that people tend to want to cleanse themselves when they perceive that they have violated their own ethical standards
personal distress
the negative emotions that we may experience when we view another person’s suffering
empathy
an affective response in which a person understands, and even feels, another person’s distress and experience events the way the other person does
pluralistic ignorance
when people think that others in their environment have information that they do not have and when they base their judgments on what they think the others are thinking
diffusion of responsibility
occurs when we assume that others will take action and therefore we do not take action ourselves
altruistic or proposal personality
some people are indeed more helpful than others across a variety of situations
just world beliefs
belief that people get what they deserve in life
dependency oriented
when the recipient feels that implication of the helping is that they are unable to care for themselves
autonomy-oriented help
reflects the helper’s view that, given the appropriate tools, recipients can help themselves
