Prosocial Behavior Behavior And Altruism - 1654 Words

Prosocial behavior and altruism are two topics that are being studied within social psy- chology to try to understand the motivation behind humans to help those in need. Researchers have made various theories of why some people are more willing to help humans in need than other people and why people choose to help victims when they do. These theories do a great deal of explaining why exactly prosocial behavior and altruism occur when they do with regard to genetics, culture, and many other factors that may influence this behavior, such as race, gender, and similarity of the victim and helper. Naturalistic observational studies have also been made by researchers to learn more behind the cause of this helping behavior and many cases are looked at for real life examples. Definitions Prosocial behavior is behavior by an individual with intent to help others in which the helper received no immediate benefit (Baron Branscombe 2015, Cherry 2015, Williams 2007). There are instances in which prosocial behavior can rise to the level of altruism by the helper providing some kind of assistance to another person solely because of their desire to help even if there may be personal consequences to their actions (Cherry 2015 Williams 2007). These two terms will be seen often, so it is important to have a good understanding of just what exactly they mean. How are prosocial behavior and altruism, two related social psychology phenomena, the same and different? Prosocial behavior, asShow MoreRelatedAltruism And Prosocial Behavior Are Linked With Helping Others1334 Words   |  6 PagesAltruism and prosocial behavior are linked with helping others. This can be seen in all aspects of life. For instance, young children helping each other when they fall, adolescents helping each other with schoolwork, and adults helping one another at work. To develop further, prosocial behavior and altruism can first be highly illustrated in children. Children are taught to help one another and this behavior grows with the child to their adulthood; therefore, people are taught to act in a caringRead MoreSocial Psychology Theories About The Development Of Prosocial Behavior And Altruism1520 Words   |  7 Pages2015). So, taking direct action can influence prosocial behavior in others by indirectly convincing them that they too should get involved because someone else is helping. What are the primary social psychology theories about the development of these two phenomena? According the University of Alabama, there are four main social psychology theories about the development of prosocial behavior and altruism. These are social exchange, empathy-altruism, social norms, and evolutionary psychology. TheRead MoreSocial Phsycology1120 Words   |  5 Pages 1. An act performed voluntarily to help someone else when there is no expectation of receiving a reward is known as a. nurturance b. altruism c. pro-social behavior d. modeling 2. True altruism is defined by a. the circumstances surrounding the behavior b. the persons intentions c. the person himself or herself d. culture 3. Pro-social behavior is defined as a. any act that helps others, even if it is done to make yourself look good b. a voluntary act to help others with no thoughtRead MoreThe Salience Of Humanity And Self Actualized People1359 Words   |  6 PagesMany people are empathetic or prosocial, but perhaps only self-actualized people can be truly altruistic. If this assertion is true, that means approximately 1% of the population is truly altruistic. There are several rea-sons why this is a plausible explanation. First, self-actualized people presumably have their lower level needs met, therefore should have more attentional resources available. If lower level needs are unmet, the possibility of engaging in helping behavior is relatively slim. Sec-ondRead MoreRandom Acts Of Kindness, Altruistic And Prosocial Behavior970 Words   |  4 PagesPaper Random acts of kindness, altruistic and prosocial behavior can elaborate to being a hero. An elderly lady is standing in a grocery line fumbling through her bag to find the change needed to complete her transaction, yet she ends up empty handed. A young man behind here hesitates to ask if he could be of assistance, yet the heroic behavior would be to give her the amount needed to complete the transaction, a prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior is any act performed with the goals of benefitingRead MoreProsocial Behavior And Social Behavior959 Words   |  4 PagesProsocial behavior is charitable actions that are proposed to support an individual or group. Such behaviors entails: protecting, uplifting, liberating, and sharing without an expected return. Human culture is produced by rules governing suitable interpersonal behavior. Prosocial behavior is often time mistaken with altruism. Altruism concerns the welfare of an individual or group withholding selfishness. Furthermore, Pro social behavior is a pattern of action, while, altruism is the drive to aidRead MoreProsocial Behavior984 Words   |  4 PagesProsocial Behavior Jennifer McReynolds University of Phoenix PSYCH 555 Dr. Kimberly Kinsey September 19, 2011 Prosocial Behavior Altruism can be defined as an unselfish desire to help other individuals. The issue of whether or not true altruism exists has been studied by social psychologists for a number of years. A brief summary of both sides of this argument will be provided. Each side as described by Jason Nier will be evaluated. One individual’s perspective on the subject will beRead MoreThe Movement Of Positive Psychology1151 Words   |  5 Pagestheories of prosocial behavior †¢ Social learning theory emphasis the important of internal cognitive processes. It states that people can learn vicariously through observation and verbal behavior. â€Å"Imitation is viewed as a critical process in the socialization of moral behavior and standards† (Eisenberg, Fabes, Spinrad, 2006, p. 649). †¢ Current cognitive-social learning theory focuses on the interplay of cognition and environmental influences in moral development. It states that thought, behavior, andRead MoreA Article On The And Egotist Behavior Essay1190 Words   |  5 PagesMy original article lays some of the groundwork for this article. The first article proved that people’s behavior depends on the situation. Basically, they establish that egotist â€Å"behave prosocially only when reputational incentives encourage the behavior† and altruists â€Å"behave prosocially without significant regard for reputational incentives.† This new article focuses on how implicit bias, specifically anti-black biases, affect one’s giving. The original article is helpful in that it proves thatRead MoreEssay on Comparing Aggression and Prosocial Behaviour1534 Words   |  7 PagesComparing Aggression and Prosocial Behaviour Aggression and prosocial behaviour appear to be subject to very similar conditions, and processes. These two are discussed and compared along with correlations investigated by temperament theorists. The relevance of the Sherif (1953) experiment is examined, and used to illustrate how those with prosocial qualities and personalities can act in an aggressive manner at the same time, thereby bringing the idea of a continuum into doubt. The issues