Assignment 1 Discussion Question: Prosocial Behavior And Alt
Assignment 1 Discussion Question Prosocial Behavior And Altruismby
Assignment 1: Discussion Question: Prosocial Behavior and Altruism By Saturday, July 11, 2015, respond to the discussion question. Submit your responses to the appropriate Discussion Area. Use the same Discussion Area to comment on your classmates' submissions by Saturday, July 11, 2015, and continue the discussion until Wednesday, July 15, 2015 of the week. Consider and discuss how the phenomena of prosocial behavior and pure altruism relate to each other and how they differ from each other. Pure altruism is a specific kind of prosocial behavior where your sole motivation is to help a person in need without seeking benefit for yourself.
It is often viewed as a truly selfless form of behavior. Provide an example each of prosocial behavior and pure altruism.
Paper For Above instruction
Prosocial behavior and altruism are fundamental concepts in social psychology that describe actions intended to benefit others. While they are closely related, understanding their distinctions is key to comprehending human social interactions and motivations.
Prosocial Behavior:
Prosocial behavior refers to voluntary actions aimed at helping or benefitting others, driven by empathy, social norms, or personal values. It encompasses a wide range of behaviors, from everyday acts like holding the door open to more substantial contributions such as volunteering or charitable donations. These behaviors may be motivated by various factors, including personal satisfaction, social approval, or a sense of moral duty. For example, helping a neighbor carry groceries is a prosocial act that enhances community bonds and reflects social responsibility.
Pure Altruism:
Pure altruism is a subset of prosocial behavior distinguished by the motivation to help others solely for their benefit, without any expectation of personal gain or recognition. It embodies the ideal of selfless giving, where individuals act out of genuine concern for the well-being of others. An illustrative example is a firefighter risking their life to save someone trapped in a burning building, motivated entirely by compassion and duty without regard for personal safety or recognition.
Relationship and Differences:
The relationship between prosocial behavior and altruism lies in their shared goal of benefiting others. However, they differ primarily in motivation. While prosocial actions can be motivated by self-interested reasons—such as receiving praise, feeling good about oneself, or gaining social approval—pure altruism is driven purely by concern for others, independent of personal gains. Some psychologists argue that pure altruism is difficult to prove conclusively, as many prosocial behaviors may contain underlying self-interested motives or subconscious rewards.
Conclusion:
Understanding the nuances between prosocial behavior and altruism reveals much about human social functioning and moral development. Recognizing that most prosocial acts have complex motivations, with some closely aligning with pure altruism, helps develop a more comprehensive view of moral and social psychology. While acts like helping others for material reward exemplify prosocial behavior, true altruism remains a profound expression of human compassion, exemplified by actions motivated solely by concern for others' welfare.
References
- Batson, C. D. (2011). Altruism in Humans. Oxford University Press.
- Penner, L. A., Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., Schroeder, D. A., & Clark, M. S. (2005). Prosocial Behavior: Multilevel Perspectives. Annual Review of Psychology, 56, 365–392.
- Eisenberg, N., & Miller, P. A. (1987). The relation of empathy to prosocial and related behaviors. Psychological Bulletin, 101(1), 91–119.
- Batson, C. D., & Shaw, L. L. (1991). Evidence for Altruism: Toward a Philosophy of Humanitarianism. Journal of Social Issues, 47(4), 1–21.
- Smith, S. M. (2000). The Psychology of Prosocial Behavior. Nelson-Hall.
- Batson, C. D., et al. (2002). Why act for the public good? Four motives for prosocial behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32(2), 181–192.
- Singer, P. (2009). The Life You Can Save: Acting Now to End World Poverty. Random House.
- Piliavin, J. A., & Charng, H. W. (1990). Altruism: A Review of Recent Theory and Research. Annual Review of Sociology, 16, 27–65.
- Toi, M., & Batson, C. D. (1982). More evidence that empathy is a source of altruistic motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 43(2), 281–292.
- Batson, C. D., et al. (1997). Empathy and the victim's suffering: Toward an explanation of a "costly" helping behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 72(3), 733–747.