Prosocial Behaviour Flashcards
Prosocial behaviour general:
Acts positively valued by society
Prosocial behaviour definition:
Behaviour that has positive social consequence and contributes to the well being of another person
Helping behaviour:
Intentional and benefits another
Altruism:
Act to benefit other rather than self, performed without expectation of personal gain, can be costly
Why do people help
Evolutionary perspective
Learning to be helpful
Social norms
Empathy altruism hypothesis
Evolutionary success-
Survival of ones genes in subsequent generations
Existence of Prosocial tendencies in humans because of:
Genetically based predispositions to act prosocially
He evolutionary success of people who displayed such predispositions
Kin selection:
Evolutionary benefit in terms of inclusive fitness to those who help relatives
Barrett et al
Human more inclined to help relatives than unrelated individuals
Burnstein et al
Tendency to help people who varied in kinship in two conditions healthy v sick
Life or death situations
Help healthy in life or death situations
Help non healthy in every day situations
Reciprocal altrusim
Helping others increase the likelihood that they will help us
Norm of reciprocity exists in every culture
Reciprocity benefits that may add to evolutionary success:
Increases status and reputation in community
Learning to be helpful-
Observational learning/ modelling
Using reinforcement
Acts that are rewarded more likely to be repeated
Norms for helping
Reciprocity principle
Social responsibility
Reciprocity principle
We should help those who help us
Social responsibility
We should help people who are dependent and in need without regard to future changes
Gaertner and Dovidio Empathy and Arousal:
Distress, state of arousal, empathy
Empathy:
Ability to feel another persons experiences, identifying with and experiencing another persons emotions, thoughts and attitudes
Empathetic arousal important in
Helping
But distress of others unpleasant
Reduce own unpleasant feelings or altruism
Altruism Hypothesis, Batson
Perception that someone needs help
Altruism hypothesis route 1
Imagine how that person feels, empathic concern, altruistic motive (reduction of others distress)
Altruism hypothesis route 2
Focus on your own feelings, personal distress, egoistic motive reduction of ones own distress
Why do people help?
Evolution
Norms
Modelling
Empathy