Home > Psychology MCQ Questions and Answers > When individuals help someone in need for personal satisfaction or reward, which concept explains this behavior?
When individuals help someone in need for personal satisfaction or reward, which concept explains this behavior?
A
Negative state - relief model
B
Empathic - joy hypothesis
C
Empathy - altruism hypothesis
D
Pluralistic empathy
Correct Answer:
B
Empathic - joy hypothesis
- The Empathic–joy hypothesis proposes that helping behavior is motivated by the anticipation of positive emotions such as happiness, pride, or satisfaction.
- Individuals help others because they expect an internal reward, making the act emotionally gratifying.
- The focus is not on reducing distress, but on enhancing one’s own positive emotional state.
- For example, a person may volunteer or assist someone in need because they know it will make them feel good afterward.
- This theory highlights that helping can be partly self-oriented, even when it appears prosocial.
- It differs from the Negative state–relief model, which is driven by the desire to remove negative feelings like guilt.
- It also contrasts with the Empathy–altruism hypothesis, where helping is purely selfless and focused on others’ welfare.
- Thus, when personal satisfaction or emotional reward is the key motive, the Empathic–joy hypothesis best explains the behavior.