1. Altruism and Pro-Social Behavior

2. Altruism & Prosocial Behavior

3. Types of Helping Behavior
Prosocial behavior (broadest term)
Action intended to benefit another
Can be done to gain either external or internal reward
Benevolence (slightly narrower term)
Action intended to benefit another, but not to gain external reward)
Pure altruism
Action intended to solely benefit another
No external reward to the helper
No internal reward to the helper
Some argue there is no such thing as pure altruism

4. Any action intended to benefit another (regardless of motive)
Defining Prosocial Behavior
Type of Behavior
Definition
Example
Any action intended to benefit another (regardless of motive)
Giving a large tip to a waiter to impress your boss with your generosity
Prosocial Behavior
Benevolence
Pure Altruism

5. Benefits another intentionally for no external reward
Type of Behavior
Definition
Example
Prosocial Behavior
Benefits another intentionally for no external reward
Sending $20 to a charity to make yourself feel good inside
Benevolence
Pure Altruism

6. Defining Prosocial Behavior
Type of Behavior
Definition
Example
Prosocial Behavior
Benefits another intentionally for no external or internal reward
Jumping on a railroad track to help a stranger who has fallen
Benevolence
Pure Altruism

7. To understand the theoretical perspectives on helping
Today’s goals:
To understand the theoretical perspectives on helping
To identify factors (situational and personal) that influence a person’s willingness to provide help
HW: Random acts of kindness assignment: Do at least one random act of kindness. Written reflection includes:
description of your altruistic act
the recipient’s reaction
your own reaction
other reflections about the experience
explain your act of kindness according to each of the theories on prosocial behaviors (to be addressed in class notes)

8. Pro-social Behavior, Benevolence, or Altruism? Why?
donating blood for money
signing an organ donor card
clicking on a website where if you click, corporation will pay to help
a firefighter rescuing a child from a burning house
a couple donating money to church because they believe in tithing
an education major signing up for peer tutoring
a student reporting a fellow student’s cheating on a test
listening to your sister's boyfriend’s woes
donating unwanted food to a food bank
loaning your roommate $20 until their next check comes in

9. Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)
Write your answer to the following questions in your notebook.
1. There are three people who need you to run a small errand to the store:
A cousin
A sister
An acquaintance
You have time to help only one…
Whose errand do you run?
Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)

10. Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)
2. There are three people asleep in different rooms of a burning house:
Your 7 year-old female cousin
Your 75 year-old grandfather
A 21 year-old acquaintance
You have time to rescue only one…
Who do you save?
Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)

11. Theories of Prosocial Behavior: Possible explanations for why we help
Evolutionary
Social exchange
Empathy-altruism
Predict how each of these theories explains why people help.

12. Theories on Helping
Evolutionary
Social Exchange
Empathy-Altruism

13. Survival/Passing on of genes
Theories on Helping
Evolutionary
Survival/Passing on of genes
Social Exchange
Empathy-Altruism

14. Darwinian dilemma
Altruistic behavior may decrease chances for reproduction/passing on of genes
How can prosocial behavior be explained evolutionarily without contradicting Darwin’s theory?

15. Basic Motives Underlying Prosocial Behavior: Evolutionary Psychology: Instincts and Genes
There are three people who need you to run a small errand to the store:
A cousin
A sister
An acquaintance
You have time to help only one…
Whose errand do you run?

16. High (parents, siblings, children)
Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)
3.0
For everyday help, people tended to help close relatives more than non-relatives
2.5
Tendency to Help
2.0
1.5
1.0
High (parents, siblings, children)
Mod. (grand-parents)
Low (first cousins)
None (acquaintances)
Degree of Relatedness

17. Basic Motives Underlying Prosocial Behavior: Evolutionary Psychology: Instincts and Genes
Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)
Participants in this study were asked to imagine scenarios like the following:
There are three people asleep in different rooms of a burning house:
Your 7 year-old female cousin
Your 75 year-old grandfather
A 21 year-old acquaintance
You have time to rescue only one…
Who do you save?

18. Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994)
3.0
The difference became even more pronounced in life-or-death situations
2.5
Tendency to Help
2.0
1.5
1.0
High (parents, siblings, children)
Mod. (grand-parents)
Low (first cousins)
None (acquaintances)
Degree of Relatedness

19. Burnstein, Crandall, & Kitayama (1994): Findings
Kin are helped more than non-kin, especially in life-or-death situations
Females are helped more than males, except elderly females (post- menopausal)
Young are helped more than old
Healthy relatives helped more than non-healthy in life-or-death situations
In life-or-death helping, relatedness matters (this assures that our genes will continue)
In everyday helping, we may be guided more by social norms and moral rules (e.g., "help the sick")
Why do these findings make sense from an evolutionary point of view?

20. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Social Exchange
Empathy-Altruism

21. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Norm of reciprocity: Help because person may help me later
Social Exchange
Empathy-Altruism

22. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Norm of reciprocity: Help because person may help me later
Social Exchange
Costs vs. benefits
Empathy-Altruism

23. Theories on Helping In what ways do we benefit from helping others?
Increases chances of others helping us
Relieves distress of bystander
Social approval
Self-worth
In what ways can helping others cost us?
danger
pain
embarrassment
time $

24. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Norm of reciprocity: Help because person may help me later
Social Exchange
Costs vs. benefits
If costs outweigh rewards, we don’t help
No pure altruism
Empathy-Altruism

25. Theories on Helping
What is empathy?

26. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Norm of reciprocity: Help because person may help me later
Social Exchange
Costs vs. benefits
If costs outweigh rewards, we don’t help
No pure altruism
Empathy-Altruism
Empathy leads to altruism

27. Theories on Helping Evolutionary Social Exchange Empathy-Altruism
Survival/Passing on of genes
Kin selection: More likely to help genetically similar people
Norm of reciprocity: Help because person may help me later
Social Exchange
Costs vs. benefits
If costs outweigh rewards, we don’t help
No pure altruism
Empathy-Altruism
Empathy leads to altruism
More likely to help if we are able to experience events and emotions the way that person experiences them
Pure altruism

28. The Empathy-Altruism Hypothesis
From C.D. Batson, The Altruism Question, Reprinted with permission of Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Altruistic: Motivated by the desire to increase another’s welfare
Egoistic: Motivated by the desire to increase one’s own welfare
C. D. Batson, The Altruism Question. Copyright © 1991 by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Reprinted by permission.

30. Situational factors
Situational factors can influence prosocial behavior:
Presence of others/Bystander effect
Environmental conditions
Helping more likely to occur in “positive” conditions
Sunny weather
Daylight
Small town vs. big city (Urban Overload Theory)
Time pressures
More likely to help when there are not time pressures

31. PERSONAL QUALITIES AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR: WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HELP MORE THAN OTHERS?
Gender
Men =
more likely to perform chivalrous and heroic acts
more likely to help strangers in emergency situations
Women =
more likely to be helpful in long-term relationships that involve greater commitment (neighbor or elderly relative)

32. Gender differences in receiving help
Are people more likely to help women or men? It depends.
Male helpers are more likely to help women than men.
Female helpers are equally likely to help men and women.
Women not only receive more help from men, but they also SEEK more help.

33. Mood
Feel Good, Do Good: When people are in a good mood, they are more helpful (Isen and Levin, 1972)
Feel Bad, Do Good: People help to alleviate their own sadness and distress