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Shvoong Home>Social Sciences>Psychology>Helping behavior Summary

Helping behavior

Book Summary   by:Noory     Original Author: TAYLOR.PEPLAU.SEARS
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Altruism is helping someone with no expectation of reward or personal benefit. Prosocial behavior includes act that helps or is designed to help, regardless of the helper''s motives.
Evolutionary theorists believe that a tendency to help is part of our human evolutionary heritage. In contrast, a sociocultural perspective emphasizes that societies create rules about helping that include social norms of responsibility, reciprocity, and justice.
Altruism is helping someone with no expectation of reward or personal benefit. Prosocial behavior includes act that helps or is designed to help, regardless of the helper''s motives.
Evolutionary theorists believe that a tendency to help is part of our human evolutionary heritage. In contrast, a sociocultural perspective emphasizes that societies create rules about helping that include social norms of responsibility, reciprocity, and justice.
A learning perspective emphasizes that people learn prosocial behaviors and norms by reinforcement and modeling.
A decision- making perspective emphasizes the complex cognitive processes that lead to Prosocial Behavior. The potential helper must perceive that help is needed, take personal responsibility, weigh the costs and benefits, and decide how to intervene.
According to attribution theory, people are more helpful to those who seem to suffer through no fault of their own and so deserve to receive help.
Characteristics of the helper are important. People are more likely to help when they are in a good mood and feel empathy for the victim. According to the negative state relief model, people help others in order to improve their own mood or reduce personal distress. Efforts to identity a single personality profile of the "helpful person" have not been very successful.
"Bystander intervention" is the technical term for helping a stranger in distress. Research shows that situational factors affect this type of helping. People are less likely to intervene when others are present. There are several explanations for this bystander effect, including a diffusion of responsibility, the influence of other people on how an individual interprets the situation, and evaluation apprehension. Other situational factors that influence are weather, city size and time pressure.
Each year, millions of people volunteer their time and services to charitable causes. Researchers have identified six functions served by volunteering; these concern expression of personal values, gains understanding, the strengthening of social relationships, a career advancement, self-protection, and self-enhancement.
Published: January 26, 2008   
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