Question

One motivator for prosocial behavior is ___. This stems from the fact that people are aware that doing good things sometimes costs money, time, effort, etc., and by doing these good things, we are inherently better people than those who do not. This motivator, consequently, boosts our status and reputation in society. Select one:

a. combative altruism
b. collaborative altruism
c. empathy altruism
d. competitive altruism
e. reciprocal altruism

Answer 1

d. competitive altruism Competitive altruism is a motivator for prosocial behavior, and it boosts an individual's status and reputation in society. Individuals help others, sometimes at a personal cost, to gain social advantages. This aspect of altruism reflects the complexity of human motivation, which can include both selfless and self-interested elements.

Step-by-step explanation:

One motivator for prosocial behavior is competitive altruism. This term recognizes that while individuals may incur personal costs such as money, time, and effort in the act of helping others, they also gain social status and reputation benefits. Competitive altruism posits that humans are aware of the social advantages of being seen as charitable or kind and may be motivated by the desire to enhance their own reputational standing in society. While altruism can often be motivated by genuine selfless concern for others' welfare, the interplay between self-interest and generosity is complex, with many people helping others for both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

Altruistic behaviors, in general, involve actions that may lower the immediate fitness of the individual but can potentially increase the fitness of others or the group as a whole. For example, social insects like bees, meerkats standing guard, and primates engaging in reciprocal grooming behaviors are all examples of altruistic actions observed in the animal kingdom. Although these behaviors seem selfless, the concept of reciprocal altruism shows that there can be an expectation of future benefits.