ABSTRACT
Psychology’s emphasis on “human nature” as primarily egoistically motivated, altruistic, or other-oriented, helping has consistently been regarded more favorably than egoistic, or self-oriented, helping. The notion inferred from the helping literature that other-oriented assistance should be consistently favored over self-oriented assistance appears to contrast sharply with the observation that our culture emphasizes individualism, personal ambition, and the value of endeavors stemming from self-interest. Analyses revealed that in the “everyday” helping situations, other-oriented helpers were rated as more likable, more honest, less devious, and as more effective helpers than were self-oriented helpers. In general, other-oriented helpers in the preliminary study were rated more favorably by females than males, and self-oriented helpers were rated more favorably by males than females. Moreover, evidence from both studies suggest that the participants considered a help-provider’s income to be associated with the characteristics perceived as more descriptive of a self-oriented than an other-oriented individual.
