1. Altruism & Helping Behavior

2. 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.

3. 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

5. 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