User:Sandy~enwikiversity/Week 12 Prosocial

Prosocial Behaviour vs Altruism
Prosocial Behaviour

Altruism – focusing on the well-being of others Altruism does exist but there still may be some underlying self interest at heart Who helps whom?

Not everybody helps or helps others equally Social influence is used to get people to behave in a certain way

What is prosocial behaviour?


 * Actions that are intended to help or benefit another individual or group
 * We usually expect to reap some sort of benefit from the collectivity of helping over time

Philanthropy – businesses putting together a foundation to give to charities etc. i.e. Bill Gates gives away 5% of the profit to health research etc.

Motivations and reasons to be prosocial

Self interest – e.g. we may donate blood for the purpose of our own long term benefit such as medical research that might save us one day

Notion of Similarity - Relate to the situation – e.g. we might give blood because someone in our family needed a transfusion in the past

Reciprocity – Obligation to return in kind what another has done for us

Direct Reciprocity – Helping someone who may help you later

Indirect Reciprocity – Helping someone so someone else may help you later

Fairness Equity – you desire what you put in

Equality – everybody gets the same amount

Over benefiting - People who feel they are over benefiting are more prone to suicide i.e. taking/being a burden on society and are not in a position to give back

Underbenefiting – People who perceive than are giving more than they are receiving. As a result they may experience anger and frustration that what they are giving is not being recognised or rewarded.

Learning Theory

Milgrim’s study of obedience Teacher teaching the learner through administering what they think are real electric shocks for the incorrect answers to questions. The supposedly real electric shocks increase with intensity as the experiment progresses. The learner is a confederate who is instructed to react to electric shocks in an increasingly distressed manner as the experiment progresses. The pressure of perceived authority persuades the teacher to proceed with the shocks against the learners protests.

Evolutionary perspective – form an evolutionary perspective goals are a motive to be prosocial

Egoism – Helps others to be of more value to society

Volunteering – can have an altruistic or have varied rewards depending on the motivation such as:
 * increased self understanding, perhaps to relieve distress
 * career enhancement through the development of skills
 * social – developing networks and social contacts
 * protective

Tutorial – The Australian Zeitgeist
Zeitgeist – spirit of the time

Social Capital


 * collective positive networks
 * large amount of positive goodwill that can be drawn upon in times of crisis
 * reasonable amounts of social interaction
 * needs ongoing reinforcement and facilitation

Social Disengagement


 * individual or couples focus
 * less community participation
 * less family support

Changing times:


 * Egalitarian – believing in the equality of all people – a dream gone sour
 * IT revolution
 * Industrial revolution
 * Increase in instances of depression because we haven’t adapted
 * Changes are to fast for our comfort
 * Globalisation

How are we dealing with these changes in society?

We aren’t; it’s all to much. We are avoiding the ‘big picture’ stuff and focusing on the things we can control i.e. backyards, renovations (another symptom of disengagement)

Other factors of disengagement


 * increasing intolerance
 * less compassion
 * we focus on ourselves – not outside our own back yard
 * value materialism, wealth and prosperity
 * we are disengaging on a political as well as social level
 * personal salvation
 * a kind of reductionism
 * abdication of personal responsibility

../Week 13 Environmental/