Social Influence (3 articles)
Human beings are capable of immense acts of kindness, heroism, and generosity. Often at the expense of their own personal wealth or safety. But is it possible that even extraordinary acts of kindness are ultimately guided by self-centered motives? Psychologist Bob Cialdini tried to answer this question and has helped bring answers to some of the most fundamental questions about human nature. Cialdini, who wrote Social Influence which made him famous, suggested that true altruism might be an illusion. Altruistic acts might instead be caused by self-centered motivations, such as the desire to avoid guilt or to enhance one’s own mood. Cialdini’s views do not remain uncontested. For example, Professor Daniel Batson proclaimed that altruism is alive and well in human prosocial behavior. His view is that truly selfless acts could arise out of a feeling of empathic concern for another person. Evidence for this theory is that factors that increase empathy (perspective-taking, shared group membership) also increase the likelihood of aiding a person in need of help. Cialdini argued that witnessing an individual in need provokes a variety of aversive feelings in potential helpers (such as sadness, guilt, and personal distress). He demonstrated experimentally that it was the desire to reduce one’s own negative feelings, rather than the desire to benefit the other person, that motivates one to help. Therefore the act would not be truly selfless. Batson countered that even though self-rewards may be a consequence of the act of helping another person, they are not necessarily the cause. The action can still be motivated by a desire to help the other person. Both scientists agreed then, that whether or not true altruism exists comes down to what factors motivate the prosocial action. They just did not agree on...
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