Prosocial and Helping Behaviour

Question 1

Describe prosocial behaviour

Answer 1

• Acts considered positive by society
• Acts that result on positive consequences
• Acts that contribute to physical/psychological well-being on others
• Includes helping behaviour and altruism
• Voluntary acts

Question 2

Describe helping behaviour

Answer 2

• Sub-category of prosocial behaviour

- An internal act that benefits another

Question 3

Describe altruism

Answer 3

• Selfless concern for others
• Helping another even if it mean putting self at risk
• No external and internal rewards

Question 4

Describe benevolence

Answer 4

• Helping others and being aware of receiving no external reward e.g. giving charity to feel good

Question 5

What are the theories of helping behaviour

Answer 5

1. Kin selection
2. Social norms
3. Empathy-altrusim model
4. Social exchange theory
5. Learning theory

Question 6

Describe kin selection

Answer 6

• Usually seen in helping family (protecting genetic line)
• Putting self at risk to ensure survival of species
• Often seen in animals
• Burnstein (1994) gave participants the option to decide who they would help in a hypothetical situation; in general people helped the sick over the healthy except in life or death situations where they favoured the healthy ; also preferred the save the elderly but in famine condition preferred the adolescence
• Argued in can’t be the only explanation as we don’t always help others; more likely it predisposes us on how to act but doesn’t determine

Question 7

Describe social norms

Answer 7

• Helping others increases likeness we will be helped in future
• Reciprocity norm = we should help those who help us
• Can vary amongst circumstances e.g. how much they helped us in past determines how much help we will return
• Social responsibility norm = belief that we should help those in need; more likely the case if a person is in trouble through no fault of their own

Question 8

Describe empathy-altruism model

Answer 8

• Help as we experience empathy for them
• When we see a person in need, we become unpleasantly aroused an seek relief to stop our own distress
• Is altruism really selfless or just stopping own distress?
• Debated the only altruistic act if when the person is willing to help wen they could easily otherwise reduce the distress in another way
• We become more empathetic if we identify with the victim; more likely to help those similar to us

Question 9

Describe social exchange theory

Answer 9

• Behaviour is based on max. profits and min. loss
• Helping can be rewarding as it provides social approval
• Increases social worth, more likely to be helped in future

Question 10

Describe learning theory

Answer 10

• Believes helping is learned in childhood
• Prosocial behaviour learned through classical conditioning and social learning theory
• Reinforcement; when rewarded for helping, more likely to repeat in future
• Rushton (1976) found modelling even more effective than reinforcement; requires children watching other help (more effective if admire/identify with model)
• Bandura suggests in SLT when we observe others the outcome of their behaviour influences whether we imitate or not