Reasons for prosocial behaviour

A detailed Summary of Reasons for prosocial behaviour

The heroic story of Arland Williams, as described in Hero of the frozen river, is touching and extremely eye opening. This man gave away two chances at survival to save two complete strangers. Safran (1982), the author of this article, describes one of the most significant moments of the rescue: "They aimed one line at the balding man. Once more, he caught it. Did he think then, even briefly, of his own chances for survival?". Different people would probably have taken the rope for themselves, however, various factors could help to explain why Arland Williams was so selfless.

One of the theories that has been brought forth is the inborn tendency which argues that "natural selection favours the genetic transmission of factors that predispose an organism to act prosocially towards other members of its species" (Alcock 1998). It is possible that Williams chose to be so brave and helpful due to a genetic basis. He was scared of ruining the financial lives of the employees at a troubled bank in Florida. He described this as one

Furthermore, prosocial behavior and learning may be responsible for Arland Williams' actions. His mother calls him an "average" man, however he is said to always have cared for those around him and to have enjoyed everyday things. He was obviously a caring man with good morals and values and this is evident by his actions throughout his life. Within this theory, Williams best fits the cognitive-developmental theory which states that "people help other people because of a personal set of values and attitudes that obligate them to provide assistance in certain situations" (Alcock, 1998). One instance in his life that demonstrates this way of being perfectly is while at his after-prom party. His date, Peggy was approached by a man through the car window. Arland exited the vehicle and went toward the man offering him a cigarette and slowly coaxing him to leave. His date Peggy states: "Arland was understated (...) but he knew how to act in an emergency" (Safran, 1982).

of his most difficult cases ever. This demonstrates his caring attitude and difficulty in

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Approximate Word count = 722
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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