EGOISM VS ALTRUISM A&D

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Is there such a thing as a completely unselfish behavior? Back up your stance.


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Ch12-Helping.pptx

Chapter 12

Helping

Social-exchange theory – human interactions are transactions that aim to maximize one’s rewards and minimize one’s costs

Social norms – we ought to help

Reciprocity norm – an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Social-responsibility norm – an expectation that people will help those needing [and deserving] help

Depends on the attribution (internal or external)

External  sympathy  help

Internal  no sympathy  don’t help

Kin selection – the idea that evolution has selected toward one’s close relatives to enhance the survival of mutually shared genes

Why do we help?

Egoism – a motive to increase one’s own welfare.

The opposite of altruism

Obvious egoism vs subtle egoism

Obvious: done to gain external rewards or avoid punishment

Subtle: done to gain internal rewards or relieve inner distress

Egoism

HANDOUT

Altruism – a motive to increase another’s welfare without conscious regard for one’s self-interests

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

An altruistic person is concerned and helpful even when no benefits are offered or expected in return

Altruism

Is there such a thing as a completely unselfish behavior?

Debate

The Brighter Side of Human Nature, Alfie Kohn (1990):

1) It does each of us an injustice by putting part of human nature beyond our reach.

“by attributing over importance to praiseworthy actions one may, by implication, be paying indirect but potent homage to the worse side of human nature. For this attitude implies that such actions shine out as rare exceptions, while callousness and apathy are the general rule.”

2) To dwell on saintliness communicates the reassuring message that a few larger-than-life characters have become specialists in helping others. The effect may be to relieve us of the responsibility of having to do the same.

Dangers in viewing people as primarily selfish and seeing altruism as rare.

3) Altruism may be turned into an all-or-nothing proposition.

If our private definition of the word ends with: “See ‘Mother Teresa,’” and if we are sure we could never be like her, then we may comfortably practice a lifestyle of self-aggrandizement. In effect, our understanding becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: If I know altruism is not within my reach, why bother to attempt to act that way or to cultivate it in my children?

Dangers in viewing people as primarily selfish and seeing altruism as rare.

Kitty Genovese story

bystander effect – tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Less likely to notice an incident

situational ambiguity - not being able to interpret a situation as an emergency or not

Informational influence

Pluralistic ignorance – mistaken impression on part of group members that, because no one else is acting concerned, there is no cause for alarm

When will we NOT help?

bystander effect

diffusion of responsibility – tendency for each group member to dilute personal responsibility for acting by spreading it among all other group members

the more people there are around, the less responsible we feel to help

Less likely to help if pressured by time

Good Samaritan study

Less likely to help if you are dissimilar to the one needing help.

When will we NOT help?

Responses to Being Helped

Best odds of helping someone

person appears to need and deserve help

person is in some way similar to us

person is a woman

we have just observed someone else being helpful

we are not in a hurry

we are in a small town or rural area

we are feeling guilty

we are focused on others and not preoccupied

we are in a good mood

Altruism