Helping, Hurting, and Cooperating - Altruism

5 important questions on Helping, Hurting, and Cooperating - Altruism

Negative state relief hypothesis

Helping results from trying to relieve own distress

Story of Kitty Genovese

In 1964, Kitty Genovese was murdered in front of her apartment building 

As she was being attacked, she screamed for help and several of her neighbors witnessed the crime 

However, no one intervened to help her or even called the police 

Why did people fail to help in such an obvious emergency? 

Factors influencing who receives help

Unambiguous need 

People with an obvious need of help are more likely to receive it 

 

Similarity 

More likely to provide help to people who seem more similar to ourselves

 

Gender 

Women are more likely to receive help from others 

Especially true for women dressed in ways that are more feminine and attractive 

>>People may assume women may need more help than men 

>>Male helpers may be more willing to help an attractive woman because offering help may be a way to get romantically involved with the woman

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Rural versus urban areas

More likely to receive help in a rural area than an urban area 

Non-zero sum characteristic of reciprocity

It is non-zero sum because the benefits of receiving help when we are in need outweigh the costs of providing help when we have abundant resources 

In humans and non-human animals, violators of reciprocity are punished 

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