An overview of current psychological theory and research on altruism and prosocial behavior.

1998 ◽  
pp. 19-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha A. Kitzrow
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Current Psychological

The Illusion of Reality or the Reality of Illusion

1995 ◽  
Vol 166 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihsan Al-Issa
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Emotional Reaction ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Cultural Concepts ◽  
Manual Search ◽  
The Social ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Degree Of Control ◽  
Current Psychological

BackgroundThe aim of this review is to integrate research findings on the role of sociocultural factors in hallucinations and to relate these factors to current psychological theory and research.MethodThe literature was surveyed by manual search, and the more reliable studies selected for the review.ResultsOne hundred and thirteen publications were scrutinised and 30 of them were included in this review.ConclusionsCross-cultural concepts of reality are related to the development and the threshold of hallucinations. Attitudes toward hallucinations tend to affect the emotional reaction to, and the degree of control of, these experiences. Awareness of these attitudes may help the diagnostician to distinguish between pathological and culturally sanctioned hallucinations. It is important that therapists consider the functional significance and meaning of hallucinations as well as the social context and the stimuli associated with them.

scholarly journals Book Review: Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 138
Author(s):  
Shaunda Vasudev
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Therapeutic Application ◽  
Valuable Addition ◽  
Dream Research ◽  
Cultural Responses ◽  
Current Psychological ◽  
Evolutionary Perspectives ◽  
Cultural Treatment

Dreams: Understanding Biology, Psychology, and Culture is a two-volume reference work that aims to educate readers about sleep and dream research. According to the editors, the work covers “evolutionary perspectives on sleep and dreaming to the most current research into the neuroscience, as well as current psychological theory, therapeutic application, and the artistic and cultural treatment of dreams” (xii). Intended for students and researchers interested in current understandings of dreams and how we study them, this is a valuable addition to the literature, as most dream reference guides focus primarily on artistic and cultural responses to dreams.

Personality and Conformity: The Learning of Political Attitudes

1970 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 1054-1073 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Di Palma ◽  
Herbert McClosky
Keyword(s):  
Political Institutions ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Political Beliefs ◽  
Mass Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
Conformity Behavior ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Current Psychological ◽  
Political Norms

Why do some men embrace society's values while others reject them? Is conformity a general trait, more uniformly manifested by some people than by others? What social or psychological forces lie behind the tendency to conform or deviate?Although these questions obviously have significance for the conduct of political life, they have received far less attention from political scientists than from scholars in other disciplines such as psychology and sociology. In view of current challenges to the legitimacy of existing political institutions, the mounting debate over the acceptable limits of protest, and the growing disdain for democratic decision-processes shown by some segments of the population, the need for political scientists to understand the nature and sources of conformity and deviation has become, if anything, more urgent. We hope, in the present paper, to explore the psychological—and to some extent the social and political—meaning of conformity and deviation as reflected in citizen responses to political beliefs. To that end we shall review briefly the present state of psychological theory and research on conformity behavior; suggest, in light of our own research findings, some ways in which current psychological explanations might be modified and extended to account for conformity and deviation within the mass public; and furnish data that might help to explain why individuals who have different personality characteristics and who occupy different roles in the society are likely to accept or reject political norms.

scholarly journals Moderate eating with pleasure and without effort: Toward understanding the underlying psychological mechanisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205510291988988 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anton JM Dijker
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Eating Behaviors ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Food Sharing ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Motivational Mechanism

Integrating research on elementary eating behaviors, savoring, mental imagery, mindfulness, cooking, and dinner rituals, a psychological theory of moderate eating is formulated that does not require effortful self-control and giving up on the pleasures of eating. The theory proposes that taste and pleasure can be combined with a relatively objective attitude toward food, resulting in a relatively slow, gentle, and thoughtful manner of eating that enhances satiation. The objective food attitude is thought to result from (a) the accumulation of multiple sensorimotor expectancies and perspectives and (b) a motivational mechanism underlying prosocial behavior, food sharing, and aggression-inhibiting dinner rituals.

The joy of obligation: Human cultural worldviews can enhance the rewards of meeting obligations

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma E. Buchtel
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Moral Obligations ◽  
Heritage Culture ◽  
Confucian Heritage Culture ◽  
Cultural Worldviews

Abstract Is it particularly human to feel coerced into fulfilling moral obligations, or is it particularly human to enjoy them? I argue for the importance of taking into account how culture promotes prosocial behavior, discussing how Confucian heritage culture enhances the satisfaction of meeting one's obligations.

Language in mental retardation: Individual and syndromic differences, and neurogenetic variation 1Based on a keynote presentation at the Third European Conference on Psychological Theory and Research in Mental Retardation, Geneva, September 1st, 2000.

2001 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean A. Rondal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Oral Language ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Genetic Syndromes ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Keynote Presentation ◽  
Genetic Origins ◽  
The Sixties ◽  
The Individual

Predominantly non-etiological conceptions have dominated the field of mental retardation (MR) since the discovery of the genetic etiology of Down syndrome (DS) in the sixties. However, contemporary approaches are becoming more etiologically oriented. Important differences across MR syndromes of genetic origin are being documented, particularly in the cognition and language domains, differences not explicable in terms of psychometric level, motivation, or other dimensions. This paper highlights the major difficulties observed in the oral language development of individuals with genetic syndromes of mental retardation. The extent of inter- and within-syndrome variability are evaluated. Possible brain underpinnings of the behavioural differences are envisaged. Cases of atypically favourable language development in MR individuals are also summarized and explanatory variables discussed. It is suggested that differences in brain architectures, originating in neurological development and having genetic origins, may largely explain the syndromic as well as the individual within-syndrome variability documented. Lastly, the major implications of the above points for current debates about modularity and developmental connectionism are spelt out.

Can a Theory of Suicide Predict All “Suicides” in the Elderly?

Crisis ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon A. Leenaars
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Psychiatric Study

Summary: Older adults consistently have the highest rates of suicide in most societies. Despite the paucity of studies until recently, research has shown that suicides in later life are best understood as a multidimensional event. An especially neglected area of research is the psychological/psychiatric study of personality factors in the event. This paper outlines one comprehensive model of suicide and then raises the question: Is such a psychiatric/psychological theory applicable to all suicides in the elderly? To address the question, I discuss the case of Sigmund Freud; raise the topic of suicide and/or dignified death in the terminally ill; and examine suicide notes of the both terminally ill and nonterminally ill elderly. I conclude that, indeed, greater study and theory building are needed into the “suicides” of the elderly, including those who are terminally ill.

In Search of the Prosocial Personality

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Wertag ◽  
Denis Bratko
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Dark Triad ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract. Prosocial behavior is intended to benefit others rather than oneself and is positively linked to personality traits such as Agreeableness and Honesty-Humility, and usually negatively to the Dark Triad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy). However, a significant proportion of the research in this area is conducted solely on self-report measures of prosocial behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between prosociality and the basic (i.e., HEXACO) and dark personality traits, comparing their contribution in predicting both self-reported prosociality and prosocial behavior. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that the Dark Triad traits explain prosociality and prosocial behavior above and beyond the HEXACO traits, emphasizing the importance of the Dark Triad in the personality space.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document