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CHAPTER 12 HELPING

Chapter 12 discusses various motivations and factors influencing helping behavior, including altruism, social exchange theory, and empathy. It also examines situational influences like the bystander effect and personal traits such as gender and social class that affect who is likely to help. Strategies to increase helping behaviors are presented, emphasizing the importance of reducing ambiguity and modeling altruism.

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19 views6 pages

CHAPTER 12 HELPING

Chapter 12 discusses various motivations and factors influencing helping behavior, including altruism, social exchange theory, and empathy. It also examines situational influences like the bystander effect and personal traits such as gender and social class that affect who is likely to help. Strategies to increase helping behaviors are presented, emphasizing the importance of reducing ambiguity and modeling altruism.

Uploaded by

Blythe Mark
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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📚 CHAPTER 12: HELPING

I. WHY DO WE HELP?
1. Altruism

• Definition: A motive to increase another’s welfare without conscious regard for one’s
self-interest.
• Example: Jane Haining stayed with Jewish children during WWII, knowing she might be
arrested—which she was—and later died in Auschwitz.

2. Social Exchange Theory

• Definition: The theory that human interactions aim to maximize rewards and minimize
costs.
• Example: Donating blood may feel good (reward), even if it's uncomfortable (cost).

3. Internal Rewards

• Definition: Helping increases positive emotions or reduces guilt.


• Example: Someone helps a homeless person because it eases their own guilt from
ignoring suffering earlier.

4. Reciprocity Norm

• Definition: An expectation that people will help those who have helped them.
• Example: You’re more likely to help a classmate who once helped you with your
homework.

5. Social-Responsibility Norm

• Definition: An expectation that people will help those who need help, especially if they
are dependent.
• Example: Helping an elderly stranger cross the street.

6. Kin Selection

• Definition: The idea that we are more likely to help relatives to promote survival of
shared genes.
• Example: Risking injury to save a sibling in a fire.

7. Empathy

• Definition: The vicarious experience of another’s feelings; putting oneself in another’s


shoes.
• Example: Feeling distressed watching a sad video, leading you to donate to the cause.

8. Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis

• Definition: When we feel empathy, we help others out of genuine concern.


• Example: Helping a stranger who looks anxious at the hospital because you’ve been in
that position before.

II. WHEN WILL WE HELP?


1. Bystander Effect

• Definition: A person is less likely to help when others are present.


• Example: George Floyd’s death had multiple officers watching but not intervening.

2. Diffusion of Responsibility

• Definition: Each bystander feels less responsibility to help.


• Example: Witnessing a car accident with others around and assuming someone else
already called for help.

3. Noticing

• Definition: We must first notice the emergency to act.


• Example: A student didn’t see a woman collapse on the sidewalk because he was rushing
to class.

4. Interpreting

• Definition: We must interpret the situation as an emergency.


• Example: If others seem calm, we might assume the event isn’t serious (pluralistic
ignorance).
5. Assuming Responsibility

• Definition: We must feel personally responsible.


• Example: Hearing someone say “We should report it. It’s our responsibility” increases
action.

6. Time Pressure

• Definition: Being in a hurry reduces likelihood of helping.


• Example: Seminary students en route to a talk on the Good Samaritan stepped over a
man in need.

7. Similarity

• Definition: We are more likely to help those similar to us.


• Example: Fans helped a jogger wearing their team’s shirt more than a rival’s.

III. WHO WILL HELP?


1. Personality Traits

• Definition: Traits like agreeableness and empathy predict helping.


• Example: People who donated kidneys to strangers had more empathy-related brain
activity.

2. Gender

• Definition: Men help more in dangerous situations; women help more in nurturing roles.
• Example: 91% of Carnegie hero medalists are men, while women lead in long-term care
and donations.

3. Religious Faith

• Definition: Religious involvement correlates with more helping.


• Example: The four chaplains on the SS Dorchester gave up their life jackets to save
others.

4. Social Class

• Definition: Less privileged people tend to be more generous and helpful.


• Example: People with less income more often stop to help a stranger.
IV. HOW CAN WE INCREASE HELPING?
1. Reduce Ambiguity, Increase Responsibility

• Definition: Clarify situations and direct responsibility to someone.


• Example: Pointing to someone and saying, “Call 911!” makes help more likely.

2. Personalized Appeal

• Definition: Making a direct, personal request is more effective than a general one.
• Example: Blood donors respond more to invitations from friends than posters.

3. Moral Inclusion

• Definition: Expanding the circle of concern to include others.


• Example: Medical missionaries and rescuers of Jews saw all humans as part of their
“ingroup.”

4. Modeling Altruism

• Definition: Observing others helping increases our own helping behavior.


• Example: Shoppers are more likely to donate to charity if they saw someone else do it
first.

5. Learning by Doing

• Definition: Helping behaviors reinforce a helpful self-image.


• Example: Students involved in service learning report higher civic engagement later.

6. Teaching Altruism

• Definition: Prosocial TV and role models can teach kids to be more helpful.
• Example: Children who watched prosocial shows were more likely to help peers.

V. SUMMARY TABLE
Term Definition Real-Life Example

Altruism Helping without self-gain Jane Haining saving Jewish children


Term Definition Real-Life Example

Social Exchange Weighing costs and rewards Donating blood for free food & social
Theory before helping approval

Emotional benefits from


Internal Rewards Helping someone to feel less guilty
helping

Reciprocity Norm Helping those who helped us Returning a favor to a classmate

Social- Helping those who can’t help


Aiding someone in a wheelchair
Responsibility Norm themselves

Helping relatives for genetic


Kin Selection Saving a sibling from a fire
survival

Crying during someone else’s


Empathy Feeling others’ emotions
hardship

Empathy-Altruism Helping out of genuine Supporting a stranger going through


Hypothesis concern trauma

Less help with more


Bystander Effect No one helping George Floyd
witnesses

Diffusion of Each bystander feels less


Not calling for help in a crowded train
Responsibility accountable

Being too distracted to notice


Noticing Seeing the incident
someone fainting

Thinking someone sleeping on the


Interpreting Deciding it's an emergency street might just be tired, not in
distress

Assuming Deciding to call 911 after others


Feeling it’s your job to help
Responsibility ignore the problem

Rushing students ignoring someone


Time Pressure Hurry limits helping
in need
Term Definition Real-Life Example

Fans helping a fellow Manchester


Similarity Helping those like us
United supporter

Traits like agreeableness Highly empathetic people donating


Personality Traits
predict helping kidneys

Men help in emergencies, Women more active in Peace Corps,


Gender
women help in caregiving men more in disaster rescues

Predicts more long-term Religious people donate more


Religious Faith
altruism frequently

Working-class individuals stopping to


Social Class Lower status = more helping
assist strangers

Inviting a friend to donate blood


Personalized Appeal Direct request = more help
versus seeing a poster

Including others in one’s Seeing all people as worthy of


Moral Inclusion
concern protection and rights

Seeing others help increases Helping after seeing someone donate


Modeling Altruism
our helping to charity

Helping reinforces helpful School service projects promoting


Learning by Doing
identity civic values

Media and adults as positive Children mimicking TV characters


Teaching Altruism
role models who share and help

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