Analysis of Helping Behavior

Career day is an annual event that students and teachers in our school look forward to. It accommodates the social interaction between students and people of the corporate world. Students receive free career guidance and the school management is advised on the best strategies to implement to ensure that their students will gain the skills which are relevant for the current job market. In this year the career day took place before the end of the academic year.

A pro-social behavior refers to an activity that is done willingly in order to assist another person or group of people (Knickerbocker, n.d). Within the event described above, there were charitable organizations that had pitched their tents with the purpose of giving a helping hand to needy but bright students. The Successful ones who went through the vetting process were entitled to full coverage of their tuition fees. On the other hand, an antisocial behaviour refers to any action that influences other people in a negative manner (Berns, 2009). Returning to the career day, some renowned musicians had been invited to entertain people. The presence of the famous artists has attracted even the rowdy teenagers from the areas that surround the school. The event ended up being disorderly after most of the students were engaged into the mass turmoil started by the outsiders. It was after the police intervention that the initial order was kept.

There are various perspectives that interpret helping behaviors. Evolutionary perspective explains how prosocial behaviour is not only found in humans but also in animals such as rabbits, dolphins, baboons among others (Berns, 2009). It is an idea that counteracts the concept of “survival for the fittest”. Additionally, sociocultural point of view justifies that pro-social behavior is an important aspect of the society (Cuddy, Rock, & Norton, 2007). It is our communal duty to help those in need and those who are dependent on us. Furthermore, the learning perspective explains that there are rewards for helping those who are calling for the help.

Decision-making point of view is yet another perspective on helping. It is a four-step model, which starts with noticing a situation when someone is in need (Berns, 2009). Afterwards, an individual takes a personal responsibility to assist. Then he weights the worthiness that will be obtained from offering the help. Finally, he makes a decision on whether to help or not as well as the ways he can provide the assistance. In addition, there is the attribution theory, which is based on how people perceive the weight and significance of the situation that calls for help.

The institution that was offering assistance to needy but bright students provided the help without any demand for recognition or rewards in whatsoever way. Their aim was just to provide those students who were in dire need with financial assistance. It is a program that has helped many students to complete their high school and tertiary education, which otherwise they would not have obtained due to their poor financial background. The school principal was very happy for the beneficiaries of the program. Moreover, he even called upon other like-minded organizations to join hands for the extended benefits for students.