PSYC 215 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Empathic Concern, Prefrontal Cortex, Pluralistic Ignorance
20 Mar 2016
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Document Summary
Altruism- unselfish behaviour that benefits others without regard to consequences for the self. Social rewards- benefits like praise, positive attention, tangible rewards, honors, and gratitude that may be gained from helping others. Personal distress- a motive for helping those in distress that may arise from a need to reduce our own distress. Research has found that when we watch someone else experience pain, the pain regions of the brain are activated. The resulting feelings lead us to act in ways that return us to a more peaceful state. The most direct way to alleviate our own personal distress is to reduce the distress of the other person, and helping behaviour is one way to accomplish that aim. Empathic concern- identifying with another person, feeling and understanding what that person is experiencing- accompanied by the intention to help the person in need.
