Term
Provision of help
(Altruism) |
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Definition
- Helper may or may not get some benefit from helping.
Altruism: No benefit to helper from helping.
- Restaurant owner in Anaheim gives free meals to all "motel children" in Orange County.
All cultures have basic norms of social responsibility (help if you are expected to) and reciprocity (help someone who helps you). |
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Term
Why help?
(Evolutionary perspective) |
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Definition
Help people to whom we are genetically related.
- Humans can only do this indirectly (main argument).
- Maximize likelihood of survival.
- Innate ability to recognize genetic kin
- Good evidence among animals; less among humans.
- But how does it explain helping of strangers? |
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Term
Why help?
(Learning perspective) |
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Definition
Develop helping habits
- Helping by children is reinforced by adults.
- More impactful to reinforce personality ("you're a helpful person") than act ("that was a good thing to do")
- Observe models who help |
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Term
Why help?
(Decisional perspective) |
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Definition
- Helper has analyzed, determined assistance is needed.
Questions to analyze before deciding to help or not.
- Is person clearly in distress?
- Do I have the ability to help?
- Is it costly for me to help?
- Do I know what to do?
- Help ONLY if all four are present. |
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Term
Why help?
(Attributional perspective) |
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Definition
- Suffering was caused by external forces (to a person)
- Feel sympathy for them (and help)
- If person brought on the problem themselves then they are not worthy of help.
- Feel anger and contempt (if you brought it upon yourself) |
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Term
| Recipients of help often unhappy to get it... |
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Definition
Indebted to helper: reciprocity says I must return the favor.
- Harm to self-esteem: I can't fix things myself.
- Men may fear perceptions of weakness, ridicule |
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Term
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Definition
- Help that is not asked for:
- Deliberate and unsolicited assistance to someone else
- Dependency-oriented help: "I'll do it for you"
- Autonomy-oriented help: "I'll give you guidance"
- Dependency help more effective, but unpopular
- Unless helper's power is legitimate and stable.
- People who receive overhelp are stressed.
- are stressed
- have reduced self-image
- woud rather task go uncompleted. |
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