Prosocial Behavior: Why, When and Who Helps Others

Social Psychology provides different explanations for why, when and who helps others. What do you think is the best explanation for prosocial behavior? Does it explain why people help in some situations not others? Why some people always help and others rarely help? Why do we sometimes stand and watch (the phenomenon known as bystander behavior). Once you have developed your position use your insights to develop your strategy to enhance prosocial behavior. Focus on specific age group, gender and social site.

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Introduction: General Information

Prosocial Motives, Emotions and Behavior

Human behavior is defined as dynamic and ever changing; over the years different scholars have taken matters into their hands by studying and gathering research based on the behavior of man in the society.

Thesis Statement

A factor that prompted Prosocial behavior yesterday may not facilitate a similar mode of action tomorrow; thereby continuous writing and research over a period provide time for better analysis, assessment, and conclusion.

Main Body: Discussion

Situation:

March 13, 1964, marked the birth of the scientific study of prosocial behavior by social psychologists. The murder of Kitty Genovese that had 38 witnesses and no one helped in Kew Gardens, Queens New York, left the world in shock questioning the behavior of man causing a stir in the study of man and prosocial behavior patterns.

Problem:

Through the continuous process of writing and research, scholars have achieved a wider approach with a variety of factors to explain prosocial behavior.

Solution and Evaluation:

An individuals genes, personality, and past experiences influence the degree of a persons perception of empathy, generosity, cruelty and destructive behavior.

Altruism is one possible factor motivating prosocial behavior.

Altruism is defined as the motivation factor of helping others without any thought of what one may get in return.

As motivating factor understanding is attached to the emotions of a person, being able to consider another persons situation motivates for prosocial behavior.

The Reciprocity Norm states that if an individual gets something, they must give something back in return.

Human emotions are usually defined as a major contributor to the mode of behavior portrayed by individuals within the social setting.

Human emotions dictate an individuals personal feelings that develop the attitude towards every aspect and practice of the society.

Solution Evaluation 2:

Gender disparities are a critical issue regarding motivation towards prosocial behavior; a person is likely to act in a certain way based on the type of situation and sex involved.

Pluralistic ignorance is a thesis that focuses on the behavior that an individual will adapt from others in a given situation.

Conclusion

Restatement of the thesis statement:

Human behavior is highly influenced by different factors making up the society, from the individuals experience to culture to societal morals and values; human behavior is a dependent variable in the equation of the community.

Route Map:

Research has stated that human behavior is different from the individual and the group level, regardless of the social dilemma on whether the person makes the society or vice versa.

Final Comment:

Writing and research over extended periods of time allow social psychologists to achieve a higher understanding of prosocial behavior and contributes to the overall knowledge of human behavior in the society.

Part One

Prosocial Motives, Emotions and Behavior

Human behavior is defined as dynamic and ever changing; over the years different scholars have taken matters into their hands by studying and gathering research based on the behavior of man in the society. Human behavior is unpredictable, example why do people help and others rarely help? Human behavior is influenced by certain factors in the society, thereby in order to understand why people help and others do not it is important to engage in the thinking of writing and research as a process that creates a better understanding of a phenomenon. The factors that cause individuals to help and hinder others to help are the key concepts in understanding what causes prosocial motives. A proper assessment and research of the topic will provide a better understanding of what contributes to human behavior within the society and within the individual.

Studying the phenomenon behind prosocial motives in the social level will enable better relations of the psychologist towards others; similarly the topic will enlighten a psychologist in the broader understanding of human behavior in the individual and group level. Over the decades the dilemma between the Agency and the society has influenced much effect on the debate between who makes the other; does society make man or does man make the society. A proper way of answering this dilemma has been through the continuous process of thinking of writing, and research of the behavior of man. The sociological debate brings light to question behind factors that contribute to the behavior of the society; why do some people help while others dont? Why do some people help and do not help at times? What contributes or hinders to the presence of prosocial behavior in the society? The paper focuses on analyzing the process of thinking of writing and research and its contribution of the understanding of the causes and significance of prosocial behavior in the society.

Annotated bibliography

Peter, F. (2013). The Bystander Effect. Psychological Bulletin , 517-37.

The article provides a clear evaluation of the bystander effect, its causes and how it affects people in regards to prosocial behavior. The article starts with a concise description of the bystander effect giving examples of the social phenomenon, since the creation of the psychological study to prosocial behavior. The authors conduct a well-researched article with supporting evidence, to show the psychological approach to the bystander effect. This provides the article with enough evidence to understand past social phenomena and how people will react to different situations in the society.

Mario Mikulincer, P. R. (2010). Prosocial Motives, Emotions and Behavior New York: American Psychological Association.

This article dwells more on the special issues and it takes stocks of the theory and research as it applies to those at the adolescent stage. In addition to that the article focuses on the specific care giving behavior system and demonstrates how individual differences in care giving orientations or strategies can be measures with self-report scales. The article provides study cases on different strategies and measures developed by psychologists in addressing and understanding prosocial behavior. The article describes and supports the evidence of real life behavior that is expressed in the society, with a focus on continuous research and observation. Through a review of different written articles, the article is well resourced in providing evidence the causes and facilitators of prosocial behavior at the group level.

The author focuses on the development of the care giving system scale which measures hyper activation and deactivation of care giving system. The article further demonstrates how the two strategies relate to other measures of optimal and non-optimal care giving.

The article presents a well-illustrated description of the history of prosocial behavior and how it has generated interest over the years. The article is well equipped since it gives the reader a platform to understand prosocial behavior from its conception to its current significance in the world today. So as to help the reader understand, the article poses and argues for both sides of why people help and others rarely do. With supported evidence the paper goes further to present different cases as illustrated by different written works from different scholars. This provides a learning platform for the reader, where the reader is able to understand the concept of prosocial behavior in the society and how to address it. Similarly with supported thesis questions and theories, the article process to be an excellent source for understanding prosocial behavior, motives and the emotions that facilitate it at the group level.

Part Two

Prosocial Motives, Emotions and Behavior

Human behavior is defined as dynamic and ever changing; over the years different scholars have taken matters into their hands by studying and gathering research based on the behavior of man in the society. Writing and gathering research over time facilitates a better understanding of the subject of study, as well as a platform where the researcher can assess and understand the evolution of behavior and the reasons behind it. Writing and research emphasizes more concentration on the subject being examined, giving way to better understanding and a better approach to identifying facts that other researchers have not. One would argue that social behavior being dynamic requires continuous writing and research as a process for a better understanding of the human behavior as well as factors that motivate the behavior.

A factor that prompted prosocial behavior yesterday may not facilitate a similar mode of action tomorrow; thereby continuous writing and research over a period provide time for better analysis, assessment, and conclusion. Prosocial behavior is defined as any action that has intent in helping others. Prosocial behavior involves the fulfillment of another individual wants or needs at the expense of a persons desires and requirements CITATION Mar10 \p 22 \l 1033 (Mario Mikulincer, 2010, p. 22). The type of behavior may include donating time, effort or money, volunteering, helping in an emergency or cooperating rather than competing. Prosocial behavior is a mode of action that has been present since the beginning of the society, over the years social psychologists have attempted to understand the main motivating factors behind the behavior. The paper will analyze different factors that motivate prosocial behavior in the society today. The writer is expected to fully explain who, when and why people indulge in prosocial activity and the different factors influencing this behavior both at the group level and the individual level.

Discussion

March 13, 1964, marked the birth of the scientific study of prosocial behavior by social psychologists. The murder of Kitty Genovese that had 38 witnesses and no one helped in Kew Gardens, Queens New York, left the world in shock questioning the behavior of man causing a stir in the study of man and prosocial behavior patterns. Research has stated that behavior is often a secondary factor of the society. In other words, one would argue that an individuals behavior may be related to the mother culture and the way of life led by that particular community. During the early 19th century social psychologists attempted to understand the motives behind prosocial behavior and the main factors influencing this behavior in the society CITATION RBu02 \p 34 \l 1033 (R, 2002, p. 34). Defined as a narrowly focused, social psychologists had identified negative emotions and antisocial behavior as the motivating factors behind the prosocial behavior. However, this thesis conclusion only favored the argument towards anti-prosocial behavior, failing to provide the factors motivating prosocial behavior in the society.

Through the continuous process of writing and research, scholars have achieved a wider approach with a variety of factors to expla...