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Effect of Self-Esteem on an Unobtrusive Measure of Altruism

1971; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 29; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2466/pr0.1971.29.3.847

1558-691X

Kjell Erik Rudestam, D.L. Richards, Patsy Garrison,

Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion

The present study investigated the effects of experimentally induced high and low self-esteem on altruistic behavior. While 31% of the female Ss and 46% of the male Ss in the experimental groups offered to help a female passerby carry a bulky load of boxes, these figures did not differ from those of a control group, even when competence feedback was augmented by verbal confrontation. The findings stressed the importance of using a nonreactive, unobtrusive measure of altruism and suggest that an aiding response may most appreciably be encouraged by dealing directly with the behavior rather than by manipulating antecedent affective or cognitive states.