Final answer:
The term 'empathy-helping relationship' refers to the phenomenon where an individual is more likely to help others when they can empathize with their pain or suffering, an aspect of prosocial behavior driven by altruistic motivations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The observation that we are most likely to help someone when we can "feel their pain" is referred to as the empathy-helping relationship.
This concept is rooted in the understanding that empathy drives people towards prosocial behavior, which is a voluntary behavior with the intention to help other people. Studies suggest that inherently altruistic actions may not always be motivated by personal gains like feeling good about oneself, but rather, can also stem from cognitive empathy or the emotional connection one feels with another.
Cognitive empathy, which involves 'feeling with' another person and comprehending their perspective, has been identified as a crucial factor in fostering altruistic behavior. This understanding is derived from the observation that seeing others suffer can elicit a compassionate response, potentially leading to selfless acts that intend to relieve the suffering of others, even at a personal cost.