Helping Others

Chapter 10

Helping Others

Chapter 10

Helping Others

Chapter 10

Why do People Help?

• Reciprocal altruism – helping another person increases the likelihood that the other person will help you when you need it

Why do People Help?

• Helping is rewarding – We help because it makes us feel good about ourselves

Why Do We Help Others?

• Helping is rewarding – We help because it makes us feel good about ourselves

Are People Ever Truly Altruistic?

• Altruism: helping which is motivated by the desire to increase another person’s welfare without regard for one’s self interest

Are People Ever Truly Altruistic?

• Altruism: helping which is motivated by the desire to increase another person’s welfare without regard for one’s self interest

When do People Help?

When do People Help?

• Bystander Intervention Video – Presence of others inhibits helping

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency Step 3: Taking responsibility for providing help

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency • Diffusion of responsibility: the belief that others will or should take the responsibility for providing assistance to a person in need.

– More likely to occur if people in the situation do not know each other

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency Step 3: Taking responsibility for providing help

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency Step 3: Taking responsibility for providing help Step 4: Deciding how to help

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency Step 3: Taking responsibility for providing help Step 4: Deciding how to help

Five Steps to Helping in an Emergency Step 1: Noticing that someone needs help Step 2: Interpreting the event as an emergency Step 3: Taking responsibility for providing help Step 4: Deciding how to help Step 5: Providing help

Bystander Effect • Research is fairly depressing – Many factors inhibit people from helping others in an emergency situation • More encouraging findings: people who have been taught about the bystander effect are more likely to help out in an emergency situation

How to Increase the Chances that People will Help you Out • Make it clear you need help • Reduce diffusion of responsibility by singling out a person or two to help you • If possible, provide instructions of how they can help

Factors that Affect Helping • Time Pressure

Factors that Affect Helping • Time Pressure • Mood

Factors that Affect Helping • Time Pressure • Mood – Positive mood – Negative mood

Factors that Affect Helping • Time Pressure • Mood – Positive mood – Negative mood

Factors that Affect Helping • Negative mood – In general, being in a negative mood leads to more helping in an effort to reduce the negative mood and feel better about one’s self – But, it won’t lead to more helping if we blame others for our negative mood and it won’t lead to more helping if we are self-focussed while in a bad mood

Who is Likely to Help?

• Altruistic personality

Who is Likely to Help?

• Altruistic personality – e.g. Mother Theresa

Who is Likely to Help?

• Altruistic personality – Empathy: taking the perspective of others and imagining or feeling their emotions as if they were your own

Handout 2 • Reverse code the following questions: – 3, 6, 9, 16, 19, 22, 25 – 0 becomes 4 – 1 becomes 3 – 2 stays 2 – 3 becomes 1 – 4 becomes 0

Whom do People Help?

• Factors that influence who people help – Attractiveness: people are more likely to help attractive individuals than unattractive individuals – Friendliness: people are more likely to help friendly individuals than unfriendly individuals

Whom do People Help?

• Factors that influence who people help – Attractiveness: people are more likely to help attractive individuals than unattractive individuals – Friendliness: people are more likely to help friendly individuals than unfriendly individuals – Attributions of responsibility: people are more likely to help people if they think the person tried to help themselves and if they think the situation wasn’t the victim’s fault

Whom do People Help?

• Fit between the giver and receiver – Similarity: people are more likely to help others who are similar to them – Closeness: people are more likely to help people who are close to them (i.e., friends and family) than people who are not close to them (i.e., stranger and acquaintances)

Do We Always Help People Who Are Close to Us?

• Study – Participants performed poorly on either a high ego-relevant task or on a low ego-relevant task

Do We Always Help People Who Are Close to Us?

• Study – Participants performed poorly on either a high ego-relevant task or on a low ego-relevant task – Participants were placed in a group with their close friend and a stranger – Their friend and the stranger perform the same task

Do We Always Help People Who Are Close to Us?

Gender and Helping • Who is more likely to help: men or women?