What encourages helping behaviour?

Helping behaviours are actions designed to assist another person with a problem or to relieve their distress. A person may help another person due to three motivations:

1.     Situational (external)

When our helping behaviour is influenced by external factors these are called situational determinants. These determinants do not depend on the individual but are influenced by the victim or other events/people surrounding the victim.

a.      Cry for help: A person is more likely to help the victim when the victim cries for help. For example, when a student walking home sees a bunch of kids bullying another kid, he is more likely to pass by but when the victims call for help, the students is inclined to help due to guilt and his consciousness.

b.     Bystander’s presence: The bystander effect is a phenomenon in which a witness or bystander does not volunteer to help a victim or person in distress. This occurs because the witness does not feel responsible to help the victim since he believes that many others surrounding the victim will help.

c.      Possible physical risk: A person is less likely to step up to help the victim when he sees a threat for himself. This can be understood when a person refuses to help the victim when he observes a gang with weapons assaulting the victim.

d.     Lack of time: Time restriction is a big determinant of helping behaviour. A person will not display helping behaviour when he is short on time and running late for school or work. He will ignore the victim and go about his day.

2.     Social (external)

When a person’s helping behaviour is the result of the social circumstances or social values, then such determinants are social or external determinants.

a.      Social responsibility- The helping nature of a person depends on the social values he grew up with. When a kid is taught to help others then he is inclined to help others everywhere.

b.     Equity and reciprocity: Equity is when a person helps another because the victim has been facing excessive problems and hence has become depressed and miserable. The witness helps the victim because he wants to give him justice and a fair life. Reciprocity is when a person helps another only when he expects the same in return.

c.      Social exchange- Psychologists use Social Exchange Theory to explain why people help others. They argue that people help each other because they want to gain as much as possible while losing as little as possible. 

3.     Individual (internal)

Sometimes people help others because of personal and internal reasons. They judge the need to help according to following factors:

a.      Liking: A person helps the one they like and leave the one they hate. 

b.     Race: People of higher classes are more likely to receive help.

c.      Similarity: The similarity between the helper and victim predicts the helping behaviour.

d.     Empathy: If the helper empathizes with the victim, he will offer help. 

e.      Gender of victim: Girls are more likely to receive help than boys.

f.      Mood/emotion of helper: If the helper is happy and satisfied, he will offer help immediately but if he is angry or upset, he will not offer any help.

g.     Personality characteristics of helper: An extrovert with good values will help more quickly and confidently.