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Andrew Jarrett How People Become Heroes through Pro-Social Behavior Dr. Bayly Social Psychology 342
Abstract: The capacity to make moral choices and to operate on alternatives other than instincts and the aptitude for civilization that arises in the technological construction of God distinguishes humans from other animals. These subsequent abilities allow people to stray away from their biological natural selection and create pro-social behavior. Yet, there is still malevolence in this world and humanity can engage in inhumane behavior ranging from extraordinary wickedness to an individual act of vindictiveness. So why is it so difficult for a society that came into being through ideals such as thou shall not kill and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself to act responsibly in times of crisis or when faced with injustice. Through this essay, I hope to investigate pro-social behavior, how people can become evil or heroic, and confidently show that heroic behavior can be a norm to human nature rather than an atypical exception. First they came for the communists, and I didnt speak out because I wasnt a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didnt speak out because I wasnt a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didnt speak out because I wasnt a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.
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Pro-social behavior is illustrated as actions that benefit other people or cultures as an entirety (Twenge, Ciarocco, Baumeister, & Bartels, 2007). Usually pro-social behavior is characterized by helping others at no profit to the collaborator, and at times coupled with expenditure. The ubiquity of pro-social behavior in the midst of humans has baffled numerous individuals in the social sciences because one is faced with the decision to help others at the cost of oneself (Knickerbocker 2003).
Historically, pro-social behavior has socio-biological roots that are observable in both humans and animals. This observes social manners of organisms helping in several animal species, sustaining the impression that pro-social behavior in genetically predisposed with an instinctive organic purpose, as to a learned occurrence. This behavior has also been seen since the early hours of human history. Early humans continued existence relied powerfully on the progression of giving and helping. Thus, those who exhibited pro-social dispositions were met with evolutionary triumph. Natural selection then chooses the group with many altruistic individuals over the group with many self-interested individuals. Religious practice has also been connected with pro-social behavior, as it is usually measured as a holy obligation. Influence on giving and helping in the Judeo-Christian traditions can be considered a principal explanation that pro-social behavior is a collective standard and moral imperative in Western Culture today (Knickerbocker, 2003).
Pro-social behavior is motivated by an amalgamation of egotistical and altruistic incentives. Egotistical incentive would suggest self importance or ones persona is the chief driver for pro-social behavior, consequently acting when reputational incentive is at risk. In the middle ground, a reciprocated advantage occurs when reciprocity is expected, thus pro-social behavior is executed with the anticipation of compensation. However, true altruistic persons are those who give devoid of reward and do not aspire to seek reputational gains. Although, no matter how truly altruistic a person is, it is ordinary for them to obtain some sort of personal benefit from their actions (Simpson, 2008). Gender and age may also play a factor as ones moral concept molds around others with needs and desires that conflict with their own. Also more feminine individuals and adolescent girls expressed elevated modes of moral reckoning than their more masculine counterparts (Carlo, 1996). Introspection is another contributing factor, as concern over ones self image dictates evaluations of their own actions from a neutral, third person point of view. Acceptable behavior is altered into behavior as personality requires a strong consistency between ones internal ethics and external actions (Benabou, 2005).
Pro-social behavior is not always dispositional, as situational factors contribute to behavior as well. The over justification effect can cloud true motives as it can deter pro-social behavior. This suggests that intrinsic motivation is outmoded by extrinsic incentives, leading to decreased motivation and reduced performance (Simpson, 2008). Social pressures and norms fundamentally impact why people do good deeds as well. Acting pro-socially comes with
significant advantages and respect, while disgrace is likewise attached to selfish behavior (Benabou, 2005).
Many of us grew up commemorating superheroes such as Superman and Spiderman, but what is a hero? Hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, all qualities that can be linked to pro-social behavior. Less known, however, are the day to day real life heroes who display courage and selflessness at their own jeopardy, in order to produce some greater good. A group of social psychologists, led by Dr. Phillip Zamabrado created the Hero Imagination Project to make heroism an everyday practice in ordinary people to be a hero in waiting.
But before one can fully understand the Hero Imagination Project, we must appreciate the journey Zambardo took to reach this point. After his well known and still controversial Stanford Prison Experiment, in which Stanford students randomly assigned as guards abused randomly assigned cell mates in a mock prison, Zambardo took a serious attitude towards what causes humans to do evil acts. One should listen to what Zambardo has to say because he knows what evil looks like. Following serving as a professional eye witness during the Abu Ghraib trials, he wrote The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil. It is this study that tries to explain the psychology of evil that can equally explain the psychology of becoming a hero.
The Lucifer effect, cleverly named after Gods favorite angel who then becomes the devil himself, shows the permeable line between good and evil and how anyone can cross it. The
Lucifer Effect spotlights the negatives that the public can become, not the negatives that they are. This proposes that a psychological characterization of evil is the implement of power and the objective to hurt people psychologically, physically, mortally, ideas, or commit crimes against humanity. Zambardo said he was shocked, but not surprised with his experiences with Abu Ghraib in Iraq, where men and women were humiliating prisoners, because he had seen it before in his Stanford Prison Study. His answer for why it happened does not come from who is responsible, but what is responsible. Bad apples (dispositional) come from bad barrels (situational) and bad barrels come from bad barrel makers (the system). So if you want to change the person, you have to change the situation, and if you want to change the situation, you have to change the system. Therefore, the Lucifer effect encompasses the understanding of how a person interacts with these three factors. These effects can be seen in the Stanford Prison Experiment and Milgrams study on authority as well as in real life situations, such as when 912 American citizens committed suicide in Guyana in 1978 under the obedience of Reverend Jim Jones. Looking at these real world results it is easy to tell that even good apples can go bad in the wrong barrel (Zambardo, 2008)
The Lucifer Effect is not limited to evil acts, but rather how people can be kind, cruel, or apathetic. The same situation that can ignite hostility in a number of us, can arouse heroic judgment in others, thus Zambardos Heroic Imagination Project was born. Specifically, the research program will: conceptualize concerns related to heroism and develop questions addressing the topic; carry out research and sustain research projects dealing with experimental, correlational, survey, archival research, interviews, and case studies; provide grants; and
integrate findings into instructive programs. The two keys to being a hero are: willingness to act when others are passive, and to act socio-centrically, not egocentrically, and this is exactly what their mission statement suggests. They hope to encourage individuals to take heroic actions during crucial moments in their lives. Zambardos vision is to create an international organization and social movement to make changes at the systematic level (Heroic Imagination Project, 2010). Conclusion: The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do bad things, but because of those who look on and do nothing. Albert Einstein
Social Psychology encompasses many behaviors such as intrinsic, extrinsic, reputational motivation, biology, cognitive, and social pressures. Altruism and egoism clash as they compete for concern over society and thyself. One could see how corrupt systems can create powerful situations for an individual to do horrible things against humanity through the Lucifer Effect. Then the paradigm of Zambardos Lucifer Effect was turned upside down to show the opposite; how people can become heroes. Thus, the Heroic Imagination Project was formed, looking for ways to change the system into one of good. A system that would create a situation where any individual could be a hero in waiting; all they have to do is act when the time comes. "We are all potential heroes waiting for a moment in a life to perform a heroic deed." Dr. Philip Zimbardo
References: Bnabou, R.and Tirole, J. (2005). Incentives and prosocial behavior. National Bureau of Economic Research, 1-7. Retrieved from NBER Working Paper Series. Carlo, G. Da Silva, M. Eisenberg, N. Frohlich B. and Koller S. (1996). A cross-national study on the relations among prosocial moral reasoning, gender role orientations, and prosocial behaviors. developmental psychology Heroic Imaginations Project (2010). Retrieved from http://www.heroicimagination.org/ Knickerbocker, R. (2003). Prosocial behavior. Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University Simpson, Brett, and Robb Willer. (2008). Altruism and indirect reciprocity: The interaction of persona and situation in prosocial Behavior. Social Psychology Quarterly Twenge, J.M., Baumeister, R.F., DeWall, N.C., Ciarocco, N.J., Bartels, M.J. (2007). Social exclusion decreases prosocial behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Zambardo, P, (2008) How People Become Monsters Or Heroes. TED. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html