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ALTRUISM

ALTRUISM. Helping for no reward, even at some cost to oneself. Biological ( evolutionary ) explanations of altruism :. Kin selection theory Altruism depends on the number of genes shared

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ALTRUISM

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  1. ALTRUISM Helping for no reward, even at some cost to oneself

  2. Biological (evolutionary) explanations of altruism: • Kin selection theory • Altruism depends on the number of genes shared • Dawkins: ”the selfish gene theory”: innate drive for the survival and propagation of one’s own genes • Supported by animal studies • Does not explain helping strangers • No scientific support (yet) to assumption that genes directly cause behaviour

  3. Trivers (1971): Reciprocal altruism theory • Altruistic behaviour is based on the assumption that the favour will be returned in the future • Axelrod and Hamilton (1981): Prisoner’s dilemma • ”tit-for-tat” strategy • Cooperation is an evolutionarily stable strategy

  4. Criticism against evolutionary explanations: • Can animal studies be generalized to humans?  influence of culture on behaviour  influence of conscious beliefs and desires on behaviour

  5. Psychologicalexplanations of altruism • Witnessed in higher-level mammals  conscious cognitive component related to altruism • Lerner and Lichtman (1968): when confederate acted distressed, most of the participants behaved altruistically • Schaller and Cialdini (1988): negative-state relief model • Egoistic motives for altruism  reduction of own distress by helping or by walking away • Does not predict how one will behave

  6. Batson et al (1981): The empathy-altruism model • Two types of emotions related to suffering of others • Personal distress • Empathetic concern (e.g. sympathy)  leads to helping • Without empathetic concern one considers the costs and benefits • Studies support (see CC p.261-262) • Evaluation of the theory/studies: • Reveals only short-term altruism • Don’t take personal factors into account • Level of empathy difficult to measure • Do biological factors affect empathy or is empathy learned?

  7. One more study – see CC p.262: Van Baaren et al. (2004): The effect of imitation on helping

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