Altruism & Helping Behavior

Altruism & Helping Behavior Altruism = an unselfish concern for another’s welfare An altruistic action is a selfless good deed which is not done for the benefit of the person doing it, but solely (or at least primarily) for the person being helped.

The Kitty Genovese Story NYC (Kew Gardens) – March 13, 1964 3:30am – 28yo woman going from car to apt. Man attacked, stabbed, and raped her She screamed and 38 neighbors heard, turned on lights, and came to window Attacker left scene However, nobody came to help or called police Attacker soon returned to stab and rape her again Neighbors again came to window, but nobody intervened Eventually someone called police, but too late She died on the way to the hospital Public appalled that nobody took action Some neighbors explained they didn’t want to get involved

Why do we help? Some factors influencing help behavior: Social Exchange Theory Sometimes we help when the costs of helping are outweighed by the benefits Some factors influencing help behavior: Clarity of need Presence of others (diffusion of responsibility) Bystander Effect – a phenomenon where chances someone will help decrease as number of people present increases Personality of helper (especially empathy) Environmental factors (urban vs. rural – population density) Mood