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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