The Psychology of Prosocial Behavior Group Processes, Intergroup Relations, and Helping

by Stü; rmer, Stefan; Snyder, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781405178808
• ISBN10: 1405178809
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-08-31
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

The Psychology of Prosocial Behavior provides original contributions that examine current perspectives and promising directions for future research on helping behaviors and related core issues. Covers contributions which deal explicitly with interventions designed to foster out-group helping (and to improve its quality) in real world settings Provides the reader with a cohesive look at helping and prosocial behaviors using a combination of theoretical work with research on interventions in applied settings Examines helping from multiple perspectives in order to recognize the diverse influences that promote actions for the benefit of others Contributors to this volume include cutting-edge researchers using both field studies and laboratory experiments

Author Biography

Stefan Stürmer, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the Fern Universität in Hagen (Germany), and the Chair in Social Psychology. In his research, he investigates inter- and intragroup processes, with a particular emphasis on the role of group processes in social movement participation, cooperation, helping, and altruism. He also serves as a consultant for various city councils and community agencies, concerning measures and policies to foster community action and civic participation.

Mark Snyder, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, where he holds the McKnight Presidential Chair in Psychology and is the Director of the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society. His research examines the motivational foundations of individual and collective action. He is recipient of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s Donald T. Campbell Award and the Kurt Lewin Award of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. He is the author of the book, Public Appearances/Private Realities: The Psychology of Self-Monitoring, and co-editor of Cooperation: The Political Psychology of Effective Human Interaction.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors

Acknowledgments

Introduction:

The Psychological Study of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations in Prosocial Behavior: Past, Present, Future

Motivations for Helping In-Group and Out-Group Members:

The Tribal Instinct Hypothesis: Evolution and the Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations

Helping "Us" versus "Them": Towards a Group-Level Theory of Helping and Altruism Within and Across Group Boundaries

Stigmas and Prosocial Behavior: Are People Reluctant to Help Stigmatized Persons?

The Strategic Side of Out-Group Helping

Consequences of Giving or Receiving Help in the Context of Groups:

Discrimination Against Out-Group Members in Helping Situations

Receiving Help: Consequences for the Recipient

Turning to Others in Times of Change: Social Identity and Coping with Stress

Volunteering Across the Life Span: Doing Well by Doing Good

Intervention Strategies: Targeting Individuals, Groups, and Organizations:

Perspective Taking and Intergroup Helping

Recategorization and Prosocial Behavior: Common In-Group Identity and a Dual Identity

Groups, Identities, and Bystander Behavior: How Group Processes Can Be Used to Promote Helping

Influences of Psychological Sense of Community on Voluntary Helping and Prosocial Action

Empowering the Volunteer Organization: What Volunteer Organizations Can Do to Recruit, Content, and Retain Volunteers

The Broader Picture: Political and Societal Implications:

Interpersonal and Intergroup Helping Relations as Power Relations: Implications for Real-World Helping

Beyond Help: A Social Psychology of Collective Solidarity and Social Cohesion

Cross-Group Helping: Perspectives on Why and Why Not

Helping Disadvantaged Out-Groups Challenge Unjust Inequality: The Role of Group-Based Emotions

Bibliography

Author Index

Subject Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.