What makes some people help and others stand by?
A lot of social psychological research focuses on anti-social behaviour. This essay will look at the other side of the coin and focus on pro-social behaviour, specifically helping behaviour and altruism. It will look at what causes people to help or not help and the phenomenon of altruism, the act of helping other for no discernable reward.
The two psychologists who have researched this area most are Bibb Latané and John Darley. They came together whilst discussing the case of Kitty Genovese, which is outlined below:
"At approximately 3:20 on the morning of March 13, 1964, twenty-eight-year-old Ms Catherine (Kitty) Genovese was returning to her home from her job as a bar manager. She parked her red Fiat in a nearby parking lot, turned-off the lights and started the walk to her second floor apartment 35 yards away. She got as far as a streetlight when a man grabbed her. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-floor apartment......
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Approximate Word Count: 1935
Approximate Pages: 8 (260 words per double-spaced page) |