• Discuss prosocial behaviours (cooperation, forgiveness, obedience, conformity, and trust) using the information below
• Prosocial behaviour: doing something good for others or for society
• Includes behaviour that respects others or allows society to operate
• Obeying rules, conforming to accepted
• Standards of behaviour and cooperating
with others
The presence of others — other people are watching
• Analyse the different explanations and motives for helping
• Discuss bystander behaviors and the possible consequences
Corporation
• .Cooperation is a vital foundation of culture
• . People don't trust & cooperate with everybody indiscriminately Gender.
• .Both men & women cooperateequally
• . Male-male interaction more cooperative than female-female.
• .Mixed-sex interactions, females more cooperative
Forgiveness
• .Stopping to feel angry or seeking retribution against someone who has wronged you.
• .Releasing the person from obligation to offset the baddeed . Benefits: better mental and physical health
• . Downside: invitation to offend again
• . Why people don't forgive
• . Severity of the offence
• . Low level of commitment to the relationship
Obedience
• Following orders from an authority figure
• . Can be prosocial (e.g ., military units)
• .Socialpsychologists have generally taken a negative view of obedience.
• .Milgram shock study
• .Majority of participants delivered extreme shocks to a screaming victim in obedience to an authority figure
Conformity
• . Going along with the crowd; saying or doing whatever other people are doing.
• .People conform more when others are watching
• .Helps people to function well in large groups
Trust
• . Strong belief in the reliability and validity of someone or something Confidence that others will provide benefits and/or not harm you, even if they may be tempted to do otherwise
• . Trust is slow to build, but quick to destroy
• .People trust strangers with easier names to pronounce
• . In general, people tend to be trusting
• . Perhaps a bit more than is entirely safe
Prosocial behaviours such as cooperation, forgiveness, obedience, conformity, and trust are important for maintaining social order and promoting well-being in society.
Cooperation, for example, is a vital foundation of culture and allows people to work together towards common goals. It helps build trust and strengthen relationships. Research suggests that both men and women cooperate equally, but there may be differences in the way they cooperate based on gender.
Forgiveness is another prosocial behaviour that involves letting go of anger and resentment towards someone who has wronged you. It can have positive effects on mental and physical health, but it can also be difficult to forgive depending on the severity of the offense and the level of commitment to the relationship.
Obedience, on the other hand, involves following orders from authority figures. While it can sometimes be prosocial, such as in military settings, social psychologists have generally taken a negative view of blind obedience. The famous Milgram shock study demonstrated how people can harm others in the name of obedience to authority.
Conformity, or going along with the crowd, is another prosocial behaviour that helps people function well in large groups. People tend to conform more when others are watching, as it can help them fit in and avoid standing out.
Lastly, trust is a crucial aspect of prosocial behaviour that involves having confidence in others to provide benefits and not harm you. While trust is slow to build, it can be easily destroyed. Research suggests that people tend to be trusting, sometimes even more than is entirely safe.
Overall, prosocial behaviours play a key role in promoting cooperation, maintaining social order, and fostering relationships in society. However, it is important to consider the motives behind these behaviours and be aware of the potential consequences, such as blind obedience and the erosion of trust.