A Study of Reciprocity-Arousing Potential

As our modern society develops, people’s cultural values start to alter between altruism to self-interest depending on what benefits them the most. In the article “The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing”, Kohn explains that people are offering help not because of intrinsic factors but through extrinsic rewards. Through Kohn’s effective claims and related sources, they show enough evidence that people’s desire to help others will diminish if rewards were to be removed.

Humans are prenatally motivated to help those around us due to its evolutionary benefits that our species has a better chance of survival if all cooperate. Humans can also be nurtured to exhibit altruistic behavior through good parenting. Although most of the population agrees that altruism benefits society, scientific research has shown that even those who believe they are altruistic are not when they are put in situations which calls for selfless behavior. One phenomena that refutes the claim that most of the population strives for selfless behavior is known as the bystander effect. The bystander effect is when a person feels less responsible for doing selfless acts when they are in an environment of a group of

Numeral studies have shown how individuals would help a family member, relative, or someone they can mirror themselves with, rather than somebody that they have no relation to or does not have a connection with. (Rushton, 1991) It is fathomable how helping a family, relative or somebody we are more attached to is a normal reaction. But it is incomprehensible to explain when humans show compassion towards complete strangers. This altruistic behaviour seemingly suggests that true altruism could undeniably exist.

Bartel (1976) defines prosocial behaviour as ‘behaviour that intentionally helps or benefits another person’. Batson (1987) defines altruism as ‘helping another person for no reward, and even at some cost to oneself.’ This definition of altruism seemingly depicts the behaviour as selfless, however there is a wealth of research which suggests that this is not the case.

Altruism, also known as selflessness, is one of the most puzzling topics in the public domain today. The main issue from the perspective of many scholars is how altruism can be effective. Even though many people get involved in lifelong altruism, only a few of them emerge to be effective in it. What could be the reason behind this? And what makes altruism such a common issue that everyone needs to engage in it? The producer, Peter Singer, puts on important points that give more light on the urgency of the altruism to the younger generation and how to make it effective in the long run.

If I no what i’m doing I’ll help out.I help out with anything, like for example if I have money & a homeless person ask for money I will help them out & give them like two or three dollars if I have it.I will help anyone out if they ask. I am not selfish. I was raise to be kind to others, no matter they are not. I just can’t sit there & no if somebody in need of help I want help them, I help.

Modern Culture instills a misguided perception of why charitable acts are performed. In Alfie Kohn’s article, “ The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing,” the author uses research evidence, from newspaper articles, to explain his thesis that rewards and praise promotes charitable acts. This article exposes the sad truth behind the natural tendency for human generosity.

A substantial portion of the research on helping in the 1960s and 1970s used some variant of the bystander intervention paradigm, measuring a single decision to help or not help in a situation in which strong situational variables had been effectively manipulated such as the severity or clarity of the emergency. However, the impact of traits or any other dispositional variable on behavior is most likely to be observed in behavioral consistencies across time and situation rather than in one specific situation. Also, the greater the strength of situational cues or demands, the less likely it is that dispositional variables will influence a person’s behavior in that situation. Thus, the failure of dispositional variables will influence a person’s behavior in that situation. Thus, the failure of dispositional variables to account for meaningful amounts of variance in the bystander intervention experiments is not surprising, and may say as much about the characteristics of the research paradigms employed as about the relationship between dispositional variables and helping (Penner, Escarrez, & Ellis,

Although theories that suggest the non-existence of true altruism may be persuasive, it does not explain the reasons for selfless deeds done by famous figures for their love and services to people such as Mother Teresa. Batson (1991) suggested a hypothesis and feels that some people are genuinely concerned about other people’s welfare. According to his empathy-altruism hypothesis, empathic concerns produce altruism motivation and relieving their sufferings is the main priority. This hypothesis is supported by several experiments where participants are typically given an opportunity to help those in need for whom they have been led to different levels of empathic concerns.

Comparatively many experiences thru out life that give views of two kinds of human beings – those who give and those who take. Every day people make the decisions about whether to act as takers or givers. Success and satisfaction in life depends on how much we care for the happiness of others. Success is often determined by a person’s achievements, however, it also applies to one’s relationship with others. Many people are naturally reluctant to seek help when they feel as though their compassion is being taken advantage of by takers. This is especially true when people equate being a giver with being weak as many may think it is pointless, particularly in the different ethnic cultures. They also may fear of annoying their co-workers, or

Some people may be familiar with this Bible verse in Proverbs 19:17 which says, “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.” or this other Bible verse; “It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice” from Psalm 112:5. They both talk about generosity in other words, kindness. In today’s world, people act in a way based on their morals, culture, logic or based on their religion. Some people have a belief that they should be kind to others because they might receive the same kindness back. But kindness is something much more than what people think it is. It is about acceptance regardless of differences, respect and giving without expectation.

The reciprocity influence describes how a person does something for an individual and the individual being help will return the favor to the other individual when they request their help (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2013).

First, it is important to understand what altruism is. Altruism is any act carried out by an individual in order to benefit another individual. [1, 2] At first glance,

According to Aronson, Wilson, and Akert (2013) prosocial behavior is defined as an act performed for the benefit of another person. Altruism is referred to as the want to help another individual even if it means no benefits, or possibly a cost, for the helper (Aronson, Wilson, & Akert, 2013). One particular factor, the bystander effect, has a profound impact on whether or not people help others. The bystander effect states that as the number of people who witness an emergency increases, the likelihood that any of those people will help decreases (Aronson et al., 2013). Processes associated with the bystander effect such as pluralistic ignorance, diffusion of responsibility, and victim effect all impact the likelihood of prosocial

This chapter presents the background of the study, the research questions, the objectives of the study, and the significance of the study.