After Reading an Account of a Man Who Runs Inside

question 95

Essay

After reading an account of a man who runs inside a burning building to rescue two strangers who have succumbed to the smoke,a friend wonders out loud what compels people to risk their lives for the sake of others.Having overheard him,you decide to explain some possible reasons why people engage in such behaviour.Be certain to clearly define altruism and explain its roots.Discuss how psychologists explain altruistic behaviour toward kin and non-kin.Explain how bystander intervention has been studied in the laboratory,and what has been learned about the effects that the situation has on helping behaviour.

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Definitions:

Symbolic Attributes

Qualities or features of an object or entity that represent or stand for something else, carrying additional meaning beyond their inherent traits.

Gestalt

A psychological theory that emphasizes the human mind and behavior as being organized into wholes, where the perceived whole is different from and often more than the sum of its parts.

Stimuli

External events or occurrences that can elicit responses from sensory organs, leading to various forms of responses in an organism.

Gestalt Psychology

A psychological approach that emphasizes the holistic and intrinsic properties of perceptual phenomena, focusing on patterns and configurations.