PRO- SOCIAL AND ANTI- SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

By: Halbeen, Moey & About

Social psychology
Connection or association between two or more people regard to how they think, feel and behave towards each other.

Pro- social behavior

Pro- social behaviour is any behaviour intended to help or benefit another person, group or society. True pro-social behaviour is intentional; that is, the helper deliberately tried to provide assistance. It does not matter if this was a voluntary action or not, for instance if you voluntarily opened a door or were asked to do it- the intention was still to help someone. However, if the outcome of the behaviour benefits someone, but there was no intention to help, then the behaviour is not considered to be pro- social

Example of a pro- social behaviour: Opening the door for someone who has their hands full.
Example of a behaviour that benefits anther person yet cannot be classified as being pro- social behaviour : Pressing the traffic light button so you can cross the road.

Factors influencing pro- social behaviour: 1. Situational factors 2. Social norms 3. Personal factors

Situational factors

These factors involve whether we notice the situation, whether we interpret the situation as one in which help is needed, and whether we are prepared to take responsibility for helping in that situation and consider actually doing something to help. The bystander effect The bystander effects is the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help another person in need when other bystanders are present, or believed to be present, as compared to when they are alone. The case of Kitty Genovese Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death in 1964 by a serial rapist and murderer in an attack over an extended period of time. Newspaper reports later claimed that 38 witnesses watched the stabbings and failed to intervene or even contact the police.

Social norms are standards or rules, which govern what people should or should not do in different social situations.
Reciprocity norms: An unwritten rule that we should give what we receive or expect to receive. Social responsibility : We should help those who need help because is it our responsibility or duty to do so.

Personal factors
Personal factors include our ability to empathise with others, the mood we are in when help is needed and whether we feel competent to give the help that is required.

Altruism
Altruism refers to pro-social behaviour focused on wellbeing or benefit of others without any thought to personal gain or reward.

Altruism is different to other helping behaviours as it involves personal risk.

An example of altruism would be donating money to a charity such as the salvation army.

Diffusion of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility is the belief that, in a situation where help is required and others are present, one or more other people will or should take responsibility for helping. When other people are present, responsibility is divided up or spread (diffused) across the whole group.

Audience inhibition

The presence of others at the scene provides an audience and this increases the chance of being embarrassed or feeling foolish. Consequently, these aspects of the situation ca inhibit, or prevent, someone from helping.

Cost- benefit analysis

A cost- benefit analysis involves an individual weighing up the personal and social costs of helping against the benefits of helping. Costs may include the effort and time required to help, risks such as personal injury, feeling bad, worsening the situation. Benefits of helping are like rewards.

Ethical considerations in studies on pro-social behaviour

Many experiments on pro- social behaviour raise ethical questions and issues like: Are participants these experiments subjected to psychological harm by witnessing someone else suffering while researches attempt to understand what leads people to behave as they do under different circumstances? Is it appropriate to deceive unsuspecting research participants in order to control variables such as participant expectation or a placebo effect?

Anti Social Behaviour is any behaviour that is disruptive or harmful to the wellbeing or property of another person or to the functioning of a group or society

Some of the common anti social behaviours would be e.g. Domestic Violence, Bullying, Racism & Physical Harassment.

The core of many anti-social acts is aggression.

Aggression
In psychology aggression is often defined as any behaviour intended to cause physical or psychological harm to a person, animal or object. Explanations of aggression Psychodynamic perspective: Aggression is an inner urge for force that builds up within us until it needs to be released. Ethological perspective: Aggression is instinctive and has adaptive and survival functions. Biological perspective: Aggression has a biological basis and is therefore influenced by our genes, biochemistry, brain and nervous system. Social learning perspective: Aggression is a learned behaviour and most of the learning occurs through observing aggressive behaviour and copying what we see.

Bullying
Bullying is aggressive behaviour that involves the inappropriate use of power by one or more persons over another less powerful person or group, and is generally repeated over time. The three common types of bullying are: 1. Direct physical bullying 2. Direct verbal bullying 3. Indirect bullying Gender differences in bullying behaviour: Boys tend to threaten with physical force whereas girls are more likely to spread rumours and tease.