This document discusses helping behavior and why people help others. It defines key concepts like altruism and prosocial behavior. Some reasons people help include social norms like reciprocity and social responsibility, sociobiology, social exchange to receive benefits, empathy and similarity to others. Social norms are social rules that people should help those who help them or depend on them. Social exchange theory suggests people help to maximize benefits and minimize costs. People are more likely to help those they feel empathy for or who are similar. Circumstances like mood, closeness to the person in need, and noticing the need also influence whether and how people provide help.

2. Helping Behavior:
Refers to voluntary action intended to
help the other with reward regarded or
disregarded.

3. Key concept:
 Altruism
 Prosocial behavior

4. Altruism:
Helping another person with no
expectation of receiving a reward.
Prosocial Behavior:
Behavior that helps others regardless of
the helper’s motive.

5. Why do we help?
(Reasons)
 Social norms
 Sociobiology
 Social Exchange
 Empathy and Altruism
 Similarity

6. Social Norms:
Two basic social norms are common in
human societies.
1) Norm of reciprocity
2) Norm of social responsibility

7. Norm of Reciprocity:
Social rule that we are obligated to
help those who help us.
“if you don’t go somebody’s funeral, they
won’t come to yours” (yogi Berra)
(e.g. if we help someone, he / she
will help in return)

8. Norm of social responsibility
Social rule that we should help
those who depend on us.
(e.g. parents care for their
children, teachers guide student)

9. Social Exchange:
Social exchange theory :
The theory that social relationships are best
understood by people’s desire to maximize their
benefits and minimize their cost.
To obtain recognition and positive feedback at low cost
“man do not value a good deed unless it brings a
reward”
(Ovid, Epistulae ex ponto)

10. Sociobiology:
Instinct and Genes
Empathy and Altruism:
The Pure Motive for Helping

11. Empathy – Altruism Hypothesis
The theory holding that when we feel
empathy for a person, we will attempt to
help him or her, regardless of what we
have to gain

12. Similarity
We are more likely to help to
people who are similar to us
than dissimilar

13. Reducing Guilt Feeling:
The idea that good deeds, cancel
bad deeds.
Relive their Own Sadness &
Distress:
Help someone else with the goal
of helping self

14. Why Do Some People Help
More Than Others?
The Effect of Mood on Helping:
Feel Good , Do Good
Closeness :
more likely to help those we know

15. “it’s curious how, when you’re in
love, you yearn to go about doing
acts of kindness to everybody.
(P.G Wodehouse, the mating season ,1949)

16. When will we help?
What circumstances prompt people to help, or
not to help?

17. NO help
NO help
NO help
Try to help
Interpret as
emergency?
Assume
responsibility?
Notice the
incident?

18. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK:
M’aam
&
Whole class
FROM GROUP 4:
Nadeem Qasmi