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Module 6

Pro-social behavior involves actions that benefit others without immediate gain for the helper, driven by motives such as empathy, kin selection, and the desire to alleviate negative emotions. The bystander effect illustrates how the presence of others can inhibit individual intervention in emergencies due to diffusion of responsibility. Factors influencing pro-social behavior include situational, socio-cultural, and personal determinants, with individuals more likely to help those similar to themselves.

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5 views9 pages

Module 6

Pro-social behavior involves actions that benefit others without immediate gain for the helper, driven by motives such as empathy, kin selection, and the desire to alleviate negative emotions. The bystander effect illustrates how the presence of others can inhibit individual intervention in emergencies due to diffusion of responsibility. Factors influencing pro-social behavior include situational, socio-cultural, and personal determinants, with individuals more likely to help those similar to themselves.

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vermakritika2210
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MODULE 6

Pro-Social Behavior
PRO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
 Pro- Social Behavior refers to actions by
individuals that help others with no immediate
benefit to the helper.

 We want to emphasize that fact right at the start


because such kind, helpful actions are definitely an
important part of social life.
MOTIVES FOR PRO-SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR
 Empathy- Altruism Hypothesis: suggests that at least some pr-
osocial acts are motivated solely by the desire to help someone in need
(Batson & Oleson, 1991). Such motivation can be sufficiently strong
that the helper is willing to engage in unpleasant, dangerous, and even
life-threatening activities (Batson & Batson et al., 1995). Compassion
for other people outweighs all other considerations (Batson, Klein,
Highberger, & Shaw, 1995; Goetz, Keltner, & Simon-Thomas, 2010) .
 Negative State- Relief Model: The proposal that pro-social behavior
is motivated by the bystander’s desire to reduce his or her own
uncomfortable negative emotions or feelings.
 Empathy-Joy Hypothesis: Empathic joy hypothesis (Smith,
Keating, & Stotland, 1989), which suggests that helpers enjoy the
positive reactions shown by others whom they help. For instance, do
you recall how good it felt seeing someone you care about smile and
show pleasure when you gave them a gift? That is an example of
empathic joy.
MOTIVES FOR PRO-SOCIAL
BEHAVIOR
 Kin Selection Theory: From an evolutionary perspective, a key
goal for all organisms—including us—is getting our genes into
the next generation. One way in which individuals can reach this
goal is by helping others who share their genes.
 Defensive Helping: People often divide the social world into two
categories: their own in-group and out-groups. Furthermore, they
often perceive their own group as distinctive from other groups,
and as superior in several ways. Sometimes, however, out-groups
achieve successes that threaten the supposed superiority of one’s
own group. Can that provide a motive for helping? Recent
research suggests that it can because one way of removing the
threat posed by out-groups is to help them—especially in ways
that make them seem dependent on such help, and therefore as
incompetent or inadequate
BYSTANDER EFFECT
 The bystander effect occurs when the presence of others
discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency
situation, against a bully, or during an assault or other crime. The
greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is for any one
of them to provide help to a person in distress.

 Bystander effect occurs because of diffusion of responsibility A


principle suggesting that the greater the number of witnesses to an
emergency the less likely victims are to receive help. This is
because each bystander assumes that someone else will do it.
FIVE CRUCIAL STEPS IN
DECIDING TO HELP-OR NOT
DETERMINANTS OF PRO-
SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
 Situational determinants: If this person is similar to you with
respect to age, nationality, or some other factor, are you more
likely to help than you would be if the victim were very different
from yourself—for instance, much older, a member of a group
different from your own? The answer provided by careful
research is yes—we are indeed more likely to help people who are
similar to ourselves than people who are dissimilar.

 Socio-Cultural determinants: Presence of strong social models


displaying pro-social behavior increases the pro-social behavior.

 Personal Determinants: Personal factors such as personality


traits, motivation also determine pro-social behavior.

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