Altruism Case Study

Generally, a basic definition of altruism would be, “actions intended to benefit others,” (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014, p. 423). This behavior is said to exist in a selfless form. It is meant to reflect an individual’s character and their true intentions within their heart. For some individuals, this act of selflessness may cost them to lose or give up something (Barasch, et al., 2014). However, their good deed outweighs their selfish desires. In most cases, this selflessness, “was motivated by honor, duty, kindness, goodness, compassion, or that [one] acts with integrity or because [one] is virtuous,” (Beardman, 2012, p. 547). On the other hand, for some people this act of altruism is really confused for an egotistic behavior. This type

First, there are many situational factors such as: the victim, priority, bystanders, location, and much more. Typically, the gender of the individual needing help can influence their chance of receiving the help needed. It was found that women usually lent a helping hand to people of any gender (Attraction, Close Relationships, and Helping Others, 2016). On the other hand, men had a tendency to favor helping women over men. Also, people tend to judge the appearance of the individual. If the victim is appealing to the eye, has a look familiarity, or is perceived to deserve help, then the likelihood of the bystander to act altruistically increases (Attraction, Close Relationships, and Helping Others, 2016). Another situational factor that is important to consider is the priority of the emergency as well as the amount of people nearby. As one is passing by noticing a victim needing help, the emergency of the situation is considered. Therefore, if the situation is perceived as not being life threatening the bystander may continue on their way without offering help (Attraction, Close Relationships, and Helping Others, 2016). Not only this but if there are numerous bystanders in the nearby area, it decreases the chances of any one individual stopping to help. This is known as the bystander effect which is described as, “the effect whereby the presence of others inhibits helping,” (Kassin, Fein, & Markus, 2014, p. 436). This is due to the fact that individuals assume that the other people around will offer help so that they do not need to. When dealing with altruistic influences, one must also regard the personal influences. This would include both the personality as well as the emotional state of the individual deciding to help others. Two personality traits that researchers found to be a common factor in increasing the chances of