Introduction
Types of prosocial behaviour
Proactive
Reactive
Altruistic
Examples
Factors affecting proactive behaviour
External factors
Situational factors
Internal factors
Why do people fail to help in emergency
Bystander effect
Prosocial behavior, or intent to benefit others, is a social behavior that "benefit other people or society as a whole","such as helping, sharing, donating, co-operating, and volunteering". Obeying the rules and conforming to socially accepted behaviors (such as stopping at a "Stop" sign or paying for groceries) are also regarded as prosocial behaviors. These actions may be motivated by empathy and by concern about the welfare and rights of others, as well as for egoistic or practical concerns, such as one's social status or reputation, hope for direct or indirect reciprocity, or adherence to one's perceived system of fairness. It may also be motivated by altruism, though the existence of pure altruism is somewhat disputed, and some have argued that this falls into philosophical rather than psychological realm of debate. Evidence suggests that pro sociality is central to the well-being of social groups across a range of scales, including schools. Prosocial behavior in the classroom can have a significant impact on a student's motivation for learning and contributions to the classroom and larger community. In the workplace, prosocial behaviour can have a significant impact on team psychological safety, as well as positive indirect effects on employee's helping behaviors and task performance. Empathy is a strong motive in eliciting prosocial behavior, and has deep evolutionary roots.
Prosocial behavior fosters positive traits that are beneficial for children and society. It helps many beneficial functions by bettering production of any league and its organizational scale. Evolutionary psychologists use theories such as kin-selection theory and inclusive fitness as an explanation for why prosocial behavioral tendencies are passed down generationally, according to the evolutionary fitness displayed by those who engaged in prosocial acts. Encouraging prosocial behavior may also require decreasing or eliminating undesirable social behaviors.
Although the term "prosocial behavior" is often associated with developing desirable traits in children, the literature on the topic has grown since the late 1980s to include adult behaviors as well. The term "prosocial" has grown into a world-wide movement, using evolutionary science to create real-world pro-social changes from working groups to our whole culture.
Prosocial behavior, or intent to benefit others, is a social behavior that "benefit other people or society as a whole","such as helping, sharing, donating, co-operating, and volunteering". Obeying the rules and conforming to socially accepted behaviors (such as stopping at a "Stop" sign or paying for groceries) are also regarded as prosocial behaviors. These actions may be motivated by empathy and by concern about the welfare and rights of others, as well as for egoistic or practical concerns, such as one's social status or reputation, hope for direct or indirect reciprocity, or adherence to one's perceived system of fairness. It may also be motivated by altruism, though the existence of pure altruism is somewhat disputed, and some have argued that this falls into philosophical rather than psychological realm of debate. Evidence suggests that pro sociality is central to the well-being of social groups across a range of scales, including schools. Prosocial behavior in the classroom can have a significant impact on a student's motivation for learning and contributions to the classroom and larger community. In the workplace, prosocial behaviour can have a significant impact on team psychological safety, as well as positive indirect effects on employee's helping behaviors and task performance. Empathy is a strong motive in eliciting prosocial behavior, and has deep evolutionary roots.
Prosocial behavior fosters positive traits that are beneficial for children and society. It helps many beneficial functions by bettering production of any league and its organizational scale. Evolutionary psychologists use theories such as kin-selection theory and inclusive fitness as an explanation for why prosocial behavioral tendencies are passed down generationally, according to the evolutionary fitness displayed by those who engaged in prosocial acts. Encouraging prosocial behavior may also require decreasing or eliminating undesirable social behaviors.
Although the term "prosocial behavior" is often associated with developing desirable traits in children, the literature on the topic has grown since the late 1980s to include adult behaviors as well. The term "prosocial" has grown into a world-wide movement, using evolutionary science to create real-world pro-social changes from working groups to our whole culture.
Social psychologists consider a group to be composed of two or more people who interact and depend on each other in some way. Groups usually have the following features:
Norms that determine appropriate behavior (A)
Roles that are assigned to people that determine what behaviors and responsibilities people should take on(B)
A communication structure that determines who talks to whom within the group ( C)
A power structure that determines how much authority and influence group members have(D)
Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling. Among others Albert Bandura is considered the leading proponent of this theory.
This is a presentation on "Compliance Psychology". It covers various ways the industry takes advantage of human psychology to persuade customers into buying their products.
ALTRUISM AND HELPING OTHER SENSATION.pptxHaniJaleel
This ppt provides a brief search about altruism and helping other sensations in psychology. This document can help undergraduate students to improve their academic results.
Social psychologists consider a group to be composed of two or more people who interact and depend on each other in some way. Groups usually have the following features:
Norms that determine appropriate behavior (A)
Roles that are assigned to people that determine what behaviors and responsibilities people should take on(B)
A communication structure that determines who talks to whom within the group ( C)
A power structure that determines how much authority and influence group members have(D)
Social learning theory focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling. Among others Albert Bandura is considered the leading proponent of this theory.
This is a presentation on "Compliance Psychology". It covers various ways the industry takes advantage of human psychology to persuade customers into buying their products.
ALTRUISM AND HELPING OTHER SENSATION.pptxHaniJaleel
This ppt provides a brief search about altruism and helping other sensations in psychology. This document can help undergraduate students to improve their academic results.
Social PsychologyWe cannot live for ourselves alone. Al.docxjensgosney
Social Psychology
We cannot live for ourselves alone. All of our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads…..
What is Social PsychologySocial Psychology: The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
Social Psychologists: Explore the connections between people by scientifically studying how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
Attribution TheoryPeople usually attribute others’ behavior either to their internal dispositions or to their external situation (is the behavior due to the person’s situation or disposition).
A teacher may wonder if a child’s hostility reflects an aggressive personality or a reaction to stress or abuse.
Problem: Fundamental Attribution Error (overestimating the influence of personality and underestimating the influence of situations)
Republican vs. Democrat (people vs. society / Katrina)
Attitudes and ActionsAttitudes are feelings, based on our beliefs, that predispose our reactions to objects, people, and events.
If we believe someone is mean, we may feel dislike for the person and act unfriendly.
Attitudes Affect Action and Vice VersaOur attitudes often affect our actions.
Example of Attitude affecting Action:
Democratic leaders didn’t agree with President Bush’s decision to attack Iraq but voted in support of it anyway because of overwhelming public support for Bush.
Similarly, our actions often affect our attitudes.
Example of Action affecting Attitude:
Cult involvement (Brainwashing)
Initially you disagree but you become involved and feel acceptance based on the actions of the cult leaders and end up forming a positive opinion of the cult.
Foot-In-The-Door PhenomenonThe tendency for people who agree to a small action to comply later with a larger one.
To get people to agree to something big, start small and build.
A small thing makes the next one, although slightly larger, seem “not so bad” (i.e. stealing / gangs).
Works for good things, too (contributions).
Role playing affects attitude (you’re a parent/student now)
Zimbardo Experiment of 1972
Social InfluenceWhy do things like suicides and school violence (Columbine, etc.) come in groups?
Answer…Conformity and Obedience:
Behavior is contagious (yawn/traffic gawkers)
We are natural mimics (our attempt at feeling the way others do – this is how we learn empathy)
We’re happy around happy people and sad around sad people.
Group Pressure and ConformityDefinition of Conformity: Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
Conditions that strengthen conformity:
When you are made to feel incompetent/insecure
When a group has at least three people
When the group is unanimous
When one admires the group’s status
When others in the group observe one’s behavior
i.e. sorority
Why Do We Conform?Normative Social Influence:
We are sensitive to social norms – understood rules for accepted and expected behavior – because the price we pay for being d.
Effective Altruism Essay
The Causes of Altruism Essay
Altruism In Nursing Essay
Reflection On Altruism
Altruism in Everyday Life Essay
What Is Altruism?
Effective Altruism Essay
The Causes of Altruism Essay
Altruism In Nursing Essay
Reflection On Altruism
Altruism in Everyday Life Essay
What Is Altruism?
prosocialbehaviour
Voluntary actions that are intended to help or benefit another individual or group of individuals”
It is performed to benefit others by helping, sharing or comforting.
ALTRUISM:
Behavior that is motivated by an unselfish concern for the welfare of others.
When one person helps another person for
no reward, and even at some cost to oneself. This cost can be time, energy, effort or wealth etc.
Altruism involves no benefit of helper and hence it is selfless help.
What causes people to jeopardize their own health and well-being to help other people?
What is it that inspires individuals to give their time, energy, and money to aid in the betterment of others, even when they receive nothing tangible in return?
Altruism involves the unselfish concern for other people.
It involves doing things simply out of a desire to help, not because you feel obligated to out of duty, loyalty, or religious reasons.
Everyday life is filled with small acts of altruism, from the person who offers his own seats in a Bus OLD/LADIES to the person who gives money to a Beggar or offering blanket to the shivering person on the street.
Psychological explantion for the same has been discussed
●Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: Ability to reason logically and perform mathematical calculations.
●Spatial Intelligence: Aptitude for visual and spatial thinking and understanding relationships between objects.
●Musical Intelligence: Skill in musical abilities, such as pitch, rhythm, and composition.
●Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: Expertise in controlling body movements and handling objects.
●Interpersonal Intelligence: Capability to understand and interact effectively with others.
●Intrapersonal Intelligence: Self-awareness and understanding of one's own emotions, motivations, and goals.
●Naturalistic Intelligence: Sensitivity and knowledge about the natural world and its phenomena.
Islam Counseling and Psychotherapy.pptxUneezaRajpoot
Islam and Mental Health
The Islamic perspective on mental health is also dramatically different from the Judeo-Christian nosology of mental health.
●Muslims “attribute mental health problems to different phenomena, including the evil eye (Hasad or Nathla), possession by supernatural entities such as demons (Jinn) and magic (Sihr)”.
●In the fields of psychology, many practitioners are also starting to recognize the role of spirituality as an essential part of both prevention and treatment for mental illness.
●Empirical evidences also showed that increased levels of spirituality and religiosity in adolescence correlated with better mental health.
●There is a very large body of literature in the field of positive psychology that correlates self-regulation and gratitude with lower incidence of mental illness.
In contrast to talking or walking, which are acquired developmental milestones that emerge with brain maturation, academic skills (e.g., reading, spelling, writing, mathematics) have to be taught and learned explicitly.
• Specific learning disorder disrupts the normal pattern of learning academic skills; it is not simply a consequence of lack of opportunity of learning or inadequate instruction.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often continues into adulthood.
•ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.
•Children with ADHD also may struggle with low self-esteem, troubled relationships and poor performance in school.
•Symptoms sometimes lessen with age.
• However, some people never completely outgrow their ADHD symptoms. But they can learn strategies to be successful.
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•The primary features of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder include inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior.
• ADHD symptoms start before age 12, and in some children, they're noticeable as early as 3 years of age. ADHD symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and they may continue into adulthood.
•Catchall term for a variety of disorders that affect a child’s ability to
•Move and
•Maintain posture and balance
•It only affects the brain’s ability to control the muscles and not muscles or nerves themselves
•The symptoms and which areas are affected will depend on the severity and location of the brain injury
•May include Intellectual Disbaility, seizures, language disorders, learning disabilities, vision and hearing problems.
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•Affects the development of the child so also known as a developmental disability
•Usually a life long disability but mild form may recover soon.
•The problem affects the child’s future ability to learn and do
•The effect depends on a number of factors like
emotional problems in youngsters.
•Conduct disorder usually happens between the ages of 6 and 15.
•factors contributing to development of conduct disorder
•brain damage
•child abuse or neglect
•genetic vulnerability
• school failure
• traumatic life experiences.
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Changes from DSM-IV to DSM-V
•The chapter on “Disruptive, impulse-control, and conduct disorders” is new to DSM-5.
•It brings together disorders that were previously included in the chapter “Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence”.
Ethical guidelines relating to THERAPY.pptxUneezaRajpoot
From the ethical standpoint the central issue is client benefit.
•If, however the client fails to improve or if his or her condition worsens while under a psychologists care the therapist is ethically obliged to take coercive action.
•If the clients condition seem to be worsening consultation with more experienced colleague to find an alternative course of action becomes an urgent necessity.
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•Recognizing, preventing and remediating problems in the client therapist relationship is the crux of ethical concern for client welfare in psychotherapy.
Mental illness:
Mental illness is the maladaptive response to stressors from the internal and external environment evidence by thoughts ,feelings ,local and cultural norms and interfere with the individual social occupational and physical functioning.
Mental illness includes a wide range of disorders of thinking ,emotion or behaviour. There are many different types of mental illness and it can be short lived or long term. Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between mental illness and normal worry or sadness but mental illness is more severe ,last longer, and significantly affects the persons ability to cope with life.
Causes of mental illness
Scientific perspective:
Mental illness is probably caused by many things in combination ,including
Inherited factors:Mental illness runs in families.
Psychological issues: Sometimes mental illness can be triggered by physical trauma that happens to you when you are child or teenager such as :
• Severe emotional,psychological,physical or sexual abuse
• Neglect
• Sudden incident,or loss of someone you loved
Life stressors: The environment and culture you live in.The stressors may include:
• Unemployment
• Poverty
• Debt
• Education stressors
• Low income and resources
• Death and divorce
• A dysfunction family life
• Low self esteem,feeling of inadequacy
• Substance abuse
Health problems:
Certain health problems that affect the baby's brain such as complications during birth for a brain infection by a virus increase the risk of mental illness later on in life.
Certain parts of the brain affect mental health one of them is the amygdala, it regulates emotions such as anger pleasure and fear and triggers your fight or flight response ,the hippocampus is the memory bank it stores and records events throughout your life. Together these two work to translate how we react and express our emotions .Studies found that these two parts were smaller in people with depression and while the healthy brain shows normal activity scans reveal reduced activity in a depressed brain. Scientist believe that these severe stress that people with depression go through disrupts the communication between brain cells .Scientists believe that the several mental illnesses are stem from a miscommunication between neurons. There is no single cause of mental illness it could be a combination of life experiences ,a family history or chemical imbalances in the brain so understanding these circuitry and maybe the key to understanding mental health.
Al-Ghazâlî (D.510 AH/1111 CE) Abu Ḥāmid Muḥammad Al-Ghazâlî was born in 1058 ce at Tûs, Greater Khorasan, Seljuq Empire and died on the 19th December 1111.
•Al-Ghazâlî was one of the most prominent and influential philosophers, theologians, jurists and mystics of Sunni Islam.
•He received thorough education in Quran Hadith, fiqh and kalam. after education Imam al-Ghazali appointed as a professor in the Nizamiyah Madrasah in Baghdad (1091 CE) which was built by Nizamul Mulk.
•Under the influence of Sufi literature, Al-Ghazâlî had begun to change his life-style two years before his departure from Bagdad.
•He sunk in a deep existential and spiritual crisis. Hence imam left the teaching and went to Damascus where he spent ten years for self-introspection, meditation and spiritual exercises.
•Al-Ghazâlî, as a Sufi, was an advocate of introspection and self-analysis to understand the psyche and psychological issues.
Islam is a universal theme that encompasses political systems and methods of social organization as well as personal worship and consolation.
•It is instituted as a methodology to solve human spiritual, practical, and intellectual problems.
•There was a time when students and scholars of other religious and cultural backgrounds from all over the world would travel to study various subjects from Muslims.
•The period of time between the seventh century and the 15th century was known as the “Golden Age of Islamic Civilization” (Arshad, 2019).
•It was during this time that the Islamic Civilization was the most active civilization in efficiently and methodologically acquiring knowledge in various disciplines.
•They led the world in science for over five centuries, providing Europe with a wealth of knowledge in a variety of disciplines (Arshad, 2019).
Cattell defined traits as relatively permanent parts of the personality.
Difference Between State and Trait:
Traits are characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving that generalize across similar situations, differ systematically between individuals, and remain rather stable across time. States are characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving in a concrete situation at a specific moment in time.
• Common Trait:
A common trait is one that is possessed by everyone to some degree. Intelligence, extraversion, and gregariousness are examples of common traits.
• Unique Traits:
Traits possessed by one or a few persons. Unique traits are particularly apparent in our interests and attitudes. For example, one person may have a consuming interest in genealogy, whereas another may be passionately interested in Civil War battles or baseball or Chinese martial arts.
• Ability Traits:
Traits that describe our skills and how efficiently we will be able to work toward our goals. Intelligence is an ability trait; our level of intelligence will affect the ways in which we strive for our goals.
• Temperament Traits:
Traits that describe our general behavioral style in responding to our environment. for example, how assertive, easygoing, or irritable we are.
• dynamic traits:
Traits that describe our motivations and interests. Dynamic traits are the driving forces of behavior. They define our motivations, interests, and ambitions.
• Surface Traits:
Stable, permanent traits that are the basic factors of personality. Each source trait gives rise to some aspect of behavior.
• Environmental-Mold Traits:
Source traits that are learned from social and environmental interactions.
• Constitutional Traits:
Source traits that depend on our physiological characteristics. These originate in biological conditions but are not necessarily innate.
Locus of Control:
Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life.
Internal Locus of Control:
An individual’s perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life. For example, students with an internal locus of control might blame poor grades on their failure to study.
External Locus of Control:
A belief that reinforcement is under the control of other people, fate, or luck. Whereas students with an external locus of control may blame an unfair teacher or test for their poor performance.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
The Indian economy is classified into different sectors to simplify the analysis and understanding of economic activities. For Class 10, it's essential to grasp the sectors of the Indian economy, understand their characteristics, and recognize their importance. This guide will provide detailed notes on the Sectors of the Indian Economy Class 10, using specific long-tail keywords to enhance comprehension.
For more information, visit-www.vavaclasses.com
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
The Roman Empire A Historical Colossus.pdfkaushalkr1407
The Roman Empire, a vast and enduring power, stands as one of history's most remarkable civilizations, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. It emerged from the Roman Republic, transitioning into an imperial powerhouse under the leadership of Augustus Caesar in 27 BCE. This transformation marked the beginning of an era defined by unprecedented territorial expansion, architectural marvels, and profound cultural influence.
The empire's roots lie in the city of Rome, founded, according to legend, by Romulus in 753 BCE. Over centuries, Rome evolved from a small settlement to a formidable republic, characterized by a complex political system with elected officials and checks on power. However, internal strife, class conflicts, and military ambitions paved the way for the end of the Republic. Julius Caesar’s dictatorship and subsequent assassination in 44 BCE created a power vacuum, leading to a civil war. Octavian, later Augustus, emerged victorious, heralding the Roman Empire’s birth.
Under Augustus, the empire experienced the Pax Romana, a 200-year period of relative peace and stability. Augustus reformed the military, established efficient administrative systems, and initiated grand construction projects. The empire's borders expanded, encompassing territories from Britain to Egypt and from Spain to the Euphrates. Roman legions, renowned for their discipline and engineering prowess, secured and maintained these vast territories, building roads, fortifications, and cities that facilitated control and integration.
The Roman Empire’s society was hierarchical, with a rigid class system. At the top were the patricians, wealthy elites who held significant political power. Below them were the plebeians, free citizens with limited political influence, and the vast numbers of slaves who formed the backbone of the economy. The family unit was central, governed by the paterfamilias, the male head who held absolute authority.
Culturally, the Romans were eclectic, absorbing and adapting elements from the civilizations they encountered, particularly the Greeks. Roman art, literature, and philosophy reflected this synthesis, creating a rich cultural tapestry. Latin, the Roman language, became the lingua franca of the Western world, influencing numerous modern languages.
Roman architecture and engineering achievements were monumental. They perfected the arch, vault, and dome, constructing enduring structures like the Colosseum, Pantheon, and aqueducts. These engineering marvels not only showcased Roman ingenuity but also served practical purposes, from public entertainment to water supply.
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Students, digital devices and success - Andreas Schleicher - 27 May 2024..pptxEduSkills OECD
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2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...
Chapter 8 Pro-social Behaviour.docx
1. CHPATER 8
PRO SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
Introduction
Prosocial behavior is voluntary behavior intended to benefit another. This includes
behaviors such as helping, sharing, providing comfort to another, feeling empathy for other
people, and thinking about the welfare of other people. For example, if my classmate needs my
help in her studies and I wholeheartedly help her out so that she can score a better grade in her
exams. Then, this is prosocial behavior. The term itself originated during the 1970s and was
introduced by social scientists as an antonym for the term antisocial behavior. While people
engage in antisocial behavior with the intent to cause distress to someone, people engage in
prosocial behavior to help. However, understanding prosocial behavior involves digging deeper
than this, such as understanding the role of empathy and moral reasoning. Prosocial behavior is
defined as behaviors that support others. These behaviors are connected with high moral
standards and benefit society. Prosocial behaviors are voluntary in nature and apply to the
betterment of others
Reasons Behind Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behavior may range from small favors to great deeds. It may take merely a
moment, or it may be a long-term endeavor. It may be done without much conscious thought or
weighing up the pros and cons. It may be under the control of situational forces or may express
the personality of the donor (heredity). Prosocial behaviors can be performed for a variety of
reasons, ranging from selfish and manipulative reasons (e.g., helping someone to get something
in return) to moral and other-oriented reasons (e.g., helping because of moral principles). The
2. findings of studies on prosocial behavior seem to be ambiguous: on the one hand, people are
committed to helping victims of disasters; on the other, there are many examples of people not
helping a victim in urgent need.
Prosocial behavior can be distinguished into three subtypes; proactive, reactive, and
altruistic.
Proactive: These are prosocial actions that serve self-benefitting purposes.
Examples:
1- You help someone so you can feel good about your action.
2- Giving a large tip to a waiter to impress your boss with your generosity.
Reactive: These are actions that are performed in response to individual needs.
Examples:
1- If a friend needs some money to buy a book, giving them money is an example of reactive
prosocial behavior
2- Sharing your lunch with a person who forgot to bring his lunch.
Altruistic: These include actions that are meant to help others without any expectations of
personal gain. When you help someone, it is purely out of the goodness of your heart. Or we can
say this is an action devoid of any reward.
Examples:
1- Include volunteer work
2- Donating money,
3. 3- Or helping a neighbor move a heavy item of furniture.
The most striking type of prosocial behavior is altruism, where a person takes on a cost
to help another person with no expectation or possibility of receiving a benefit in return.
Altruistic behaviors are different than proactive and reactive behaviors in that the former
is motivated by nothing more than the selfless desire to help others. Proactive and reactive
behaviors are considered reciprocal. In a model of reciprocity, there is an understanding or
assumption that the actions of doing good for others will motivate them to return the favor or
behaviors.
Researchers also suggest that these different types of prosocial behaviors are often likely
to be motivated by differing forces. For example, proactive prosocial actions were found to often
be motivated by status-linked goals and popularity within a group. Altruistic prosocial behaviors,
on the other hand, were more closely linked to being liked by peers and achieving shared goals.
Motives of Prosocial Behavior
What are the motives of people to help others? There are many hypotheses related to this
concept as to why do we help others.
1.Empathy-Altruism hypothesis
"It feels good to help others”. Empathy means the capacity to be able to experience other's
emotional states, feel sympathetic toward them and take their perspective. It is stated in the
hypotheses that; "Prosocial behavior is motivated solely for the purpose of increasing the welfare
of recipient."
4. 2.Negative State Relief hypothesis
"We relief from our negative states when we help others." Individuals experiencing
negative emotions are motivated to help in order to achieve relief from such emotions.
For example
You get a very low CGPA this semester, you are feeling bad, and you are in a negative
state of mind, and then you saw a person who got F grade this semester, now you try to place
yourself in his or her situation and you went to them and support them emotionally and try to
help them out in passing their course. So, whenever you help someone, you are removing your
own negative state so you can feel good. In other words, we do good things in order to stop
feeling bad.
3.Empathetic Joy hypothesis
"It feels good to have positive impact on others." Helping in response to Empathy is
motivated neither by a selfless concern for the welfare of others, nor by the reduction of personal
distress but rather by the joy one experiences when observing that another person's needs have
been met. For example: When we share our half plate food to the hungry man, they say "thank
You”, they smile to us. We feel joy, we feel happy that their need is been met. Example: A lot of
people spend a lot of money on their kids by buying them new clothes, toys. They feel smile, joy
and happiness of their kids.
5. 4.Competitive Altruism
"Sometimes people do help because they wanted to increase or raise their own
reputation." This view suggests that one important reason that people help others is that doing so
boosts their own status and reputation and this way, ultimately brings them large benefits.
For example
You find a lot of donors who support the organizations and give them a lot of donations,
whenever they arrive that organization, they got a lot of reputation and respect because their
status has been increase.
According to the competitive altruism theory, people sometimes engage in prosocial
behavior because doing so provides them with large gains in status.
Factors affecting Prosocial Behaviour
Research indicates that many factors contribute to whether or not a person decides to help
a stranger in need. Some of these factors may be situational, like they didn't notice the incident
because they were in a hurry or they believe the victim is responsible for their current state.
Other factors include the mood a person is in and their personality traits. A lot of these factors
coincide with each other and therefore more than one may be present while deciding whether an
individual helps another.
Internal Factors
Internal factors are characteristics within a person that influence their behaviour. In
prosocial behaviour when referring to internal factors, we are looking into personality traits that
6. either enhance or inhibit helping. While looking into why or why not people help based on inner
attributes, altruism and ego centrism often come up. People either help for the benefit of
themselves, egocentrism or solely for the benefit of others, known as altruism.
External Factors
External factors are based off of situations therefore behaviour depends on the
environment around the individual. In terms of helping behaviours, the situation one is in could
definitely influence whether they engage in helpful behaviours or not. Prosocial Behaviour is
also affected by factors relating to the person, including:
Physical factors
Age, health, illness, pain, influence of a substance or medication personal and emotional
factors personality, beliefs, expectations, emotions, mental health.
Situational Factor
Even though some people are more prone to help than are others, situational factors also
can have a powerful effect on people’s willingness to help. For example, people are less likely to
help when the cost of helping is high. They also are more likely to help attractive people and to
help if they are the only ones available to help (e.g., there are no other people around who see an
individual who needs assistance). People in good moods are likely to assist others more than are
people in neutral moods, although sometimes people in bad moods seem to help others to raise
their moods. People also are more likely to help if they are exposed to models of prosocial
behaviour.
7. Moreover, the interaction of situational factors with personality characteristics of
potential helpers is important; for example, sociable people seem more likely to provide types of
helping that involve social interaction whereas shy individuals often may tend to help in
situations in which they do not need to be outgoing or socially assertive.
Why do people fail to help in an emergency?
It is normal for people to freeze or be shocked when they see an emergency situation or
someone under attack. This is usually a reaction to fear. They are too weak to help, they
misunderstand the situation and see threat when there in none, and they fear that intervening will
put their lives in danger.
The bystander effect: The term bystander effect is a social psychological theory that refers to
the tendency of people to become less active in high-risk situations due to the presence of other
bystanders. For Example: Someone murdered a man, while several of his neighbors looked on
and no one intervened until it was too late.
Diffusion of responsibility: Diffusion of responsibility occurs when a duty or task is shared
between a group of people instead of only one person. Whenever there is an emergency situation
in which more than one person is present, there is a diffusion of responsibility. Three steps that
categorize this phenomenon:
1- The moral obligation to help affects not just one person, but an entire group in the face of an
emergency.
2- Instead of resting alone, we can share responsibility for not helping.
3- The belief that another bystander in the group will offer help.