Deck 11: Empathy and Egotism: Portals to Altruism, Gratitude, and Forgiveness

Question 1

The concept of egotism as a motive for helping others is most closely related to which term?

A) esteem
B) empathy
C) altruism
D) compassion

Answer 1

esteem

Question 2

Someone who engages in altruistic behavior out of empathy is demonstrating which type of helping behavior?

A) care-based altruism
B) kin-based altruism
C) reciprocity-based altruism
D) egotism-based altruism

Answer 2

care-based altruism

Question 3

What is the implication of altruism being eudaemonic?

A) It serves its own purpose and is not connected to satisfaction.
B) It is key to achieving transcendence.
C) It has more use for people who have their basic needs met.
D) It is linked to purpose in life and fulfillment.

Answer 3

It is linked to purpose in life and fulfillment.

Question 4

In the grocery store, a woman sees someone attempting to reach a box from the top shelf, which is clearly out of reach. The woman feels compassion for the person and gets the box down for them. What is this example best describing?

A) empathy motive
B) altruism motive
C) egotism motive
D) trim motive

Question 5

A child is playing with her sibling and accidentally gets too rough. The sibling ends up falling and getting hurt. The child responsible immediately helps the sibling up and offers comfort to attempt to stop the crying for fear of being punished by her parents. What is this an example of?

A) empathy-motivated altruism
B) benefit finding
C) genetic foundations of empathy
D) egotism-motivated altruism

Question 6

What does the increase in studies on empathy-based altruism mean for understanding motives for helping others?

A) It demonstrates that there is indeed interest in learning how to be empathetic.
B) It indicates that researchers want to discard the idea of egotism-based altruism.
C) It means that laypeople have a clear interest in learning how to help others without external motives.
D) It shows that egotism-based altruism is not the only explanation for helping behaviors.

Question 7

What is the nature of the relationship between altruistic behavior and feelings of gratitude and happiness?

A) Someone who feels gratitude is more likely to help others.
B) Someone who is happy does not feel the need to be altruistic.
C) Altruism can lead to either gratefulness or happiness, but not both.
D) Happiness and gratefulness only explain 50% of altruistic behaviors.

Question 8

Helping behavior that is motivated by the likelihood of reciprocity of the person in need is known as ______.

A) kin-based altruism
B) reciprocity-based altruism
C) mutuality-based altruism
D) care-based altruism

Question 9

Research on the genetic and neural foundations of empathy has indicated that empathy has ______.

A) virtually no degree of heritability
B) a small degree of heritability
C) a moderate degree of heritability
D) a substantial degree of heritability

Question 10

Which part of the brain is essential for empathy?

A) the temporal lobes
B) the prefrontal cortex
C) the amygdala
D) the hippocampus

Question 11

Which of the following factors is believed to underlie an evolutionary basis for human empathy?

A) Individuals who were able to evoke empathy in others gained a survival advantage.
B) Displays of altruism were more likely to result in gaining sexual favors.
C) Altruistic people were more likely to produce twins, and therefore increase total reproduction.
D) Being able to recognize altruistic traits resulted in selecting a similarly altruistic mate.

Question 12

A student is walking in the hall and sees another student drop their books. The thought process behind helping the student who dropped the books included a feeling of slight sorrow for them. Which motive best explains this behavior?

A) egotism motive
B) empathy motive
C) altruism motive
D) gratitude motive

Question 13

A business owner annually donates a large sum of money to a local charity, which publicly announces the donation. The business owner enjoys the advertisement. Which motive best explains this behavior?

A) empathy motive
B) egotism motive
C) altruism motive
D) gratitude motive

Question 14

Because of the positive outcome, what is one of the most influential human motives that drives many human actions?

A) empathy
B) forgiveness
C) egotism
D) altruism

Question 15

Which of the following is one of the three motives for engaging in egotism-based altruism?

A) avoiding social or personal punishments for failing to help
B) for the betterment of society
C) to help others in need save face
D) abiding by religious guidelines

Question 16

How does egotism fuel altruistic behavior?

A) Most people feel empathy for others.
B) People like to protect their feelings of self-worth.
C) Altruistic actions produce an underlying benefit.
D) It is rooted in our evolutionary history.

Question 17

How does emotion tie in with altruistic behavior?

A) People are more altruistic if the recipient is happy.
B) Altruistic actions are valued more when emotions are neutral.
C) Positive affect can help stimulate altruism.
D) People are more altruistic when their mood matches the recipient.

Question 18

In the study by Dunn, Aknin, and Norton, what occurred with participants who were instructed to spend money on someone else?

A) They were not as happy as others who spent money on themselves.
B) They had higher well-being at the end of the day.
C) They did not express either positive or negative emotions about it.
D) They were satisfied if they also spent an equal amount on themselves.

Question 19

Aside from egoism and empathy, what is another contributor to altruistic actions?

A) hedonism
B) pride
C) forgiveness
D) collectivism

Question 20

What did Batson and colleagues suggest about altruism?

A) all altruistic behaviors are motivated by an underlying sense of egotism
B) being altruistic is an entirely learned behavior
C) individuals higher in empathy are more likely to help those in need
D) negative emotions motivate altruistic behavior only when physical or psychological escape is not possible

Question 21

Which of the following terms regarding altruism has the greatest applicability to a collectivist society?

A) empathic venue
B) egoistic system
C) social strata
D) altruism niche

Question 22

Someone's car has broken down by the side of the busy highway and is starting to smoke. Which of the following individuals is most likely to stop and help?

A) a police officer
B) a teacher
C) a lawyer
D) a person on their way to work

Question 23

What phenomenon has led to lower volunteerism rates?

A) less people in need of help
B) fewer merits of acting altruistically
C) an increase in average income
D) the drop in unemployment rates

Question 24

How is altruism embedded within collectivist cultures?

A) Collectivist cultures inherently prioritize focusing on the welfare of others.
B) Collectivism is based on helping others for personal gain.
C) Altruism in a collectivist culture depends on the fear of punishment for not helping.
D) Collectivist cultures use altruism to maintain orderliness.

Question 25

Someone who has incorporated altruism into their personal identity will likely see volunteering as ______.

A) something that can earn them praise
B) important to their self-esteem
C) the only way to be fulfilled
D) a way to spread their other values

Question 26

Which of the following is a way that the author suggests can help children develop empathy?

A) encourage children to develop their personal uniqueness
B) help children to develop a wide and diverse social circle
C) give children lots of help to understand the feeling of being helped
D) encourage children to examine their motives for helping others

Question 27

A person has been working many hours of volunteer work for the last 6 months. It began as a requirement for a class, but the person now feels closer to others and understands that they are similar. What does this realization due to increased interaction demonstrate?

A) increased gratitude
B) decreased aggression
C) increased empathy
D) decreased avoidance

Question 28

What does research on cultural differences in defining altruism suggest about societal engagement in altruistic behavior?

A) Social engagement in altruism is much more effective in Western cultures.
B) Altruistic behavior is normalized in small countries, where it is necessary for survival.
C) Helping behavior can be part of normal behavior within a society.
D) Large countries will not see the normalization of helping behaviors, as the rewards are not great enough.

Question 29

When one feels the extreme need to consider oneself special and unique and different from others, it may create difficulty with others. Which of the following will desires such as these hinder?

A) altruism
B) gratitude
C) forgiveness
D) empathy

Question 30

What occurred in the "Dictator Game?"

A) Men gave more tokens than women.
B) Women gave more tokens to other women, but fewer tokens to men.
C) Women gave more tokens than men.
D) Men gave more tokens to other men, but fewer tokens other women.

Question 31

By engaging in volunteer work, one can invoke which kind of feelings?

A) empathic feelings
B) feelings of forgiveness
C) egoistic feelings
D) nuanced feelings

Question 32

What condition must be in place for religious prosociality to occur?

A) There must be a relevant passage in holy texts to engage in this behavior.
B) The person receiving help is from the same religious group.
C) A religious holiday must be coming up.
D) The person helping needs to be high in spirituality.

Question 33

Research indicates that oxytocin is responsible for enhancing altruistic behavior, specifically ______.

A) care-based altruism
B) kin-based altruism
C) empathy-based altruism
D) egotism-based altruism

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true about the relationship between gender and altruism?

A) Women were more appreciative of altruistic traits in short-term relationships, but less appreciative in long-term relationships.
B) Both men and women were more appreciative of altruistic traits in long-term relationships.
C) Men were more appreciative of altruistic traits in both short-term and long-term relationships than were women.
D) Both men and women were more appreciative of altruistic traits in short-term relationships.

Question 35

What can people engage in to experience the positive feelings associated with egotism-based altruism?

A) putting money in donation jars
B) community volunteer work
C) cleaning trash from a highway
D) donating to politicians

Question 36

Which of the following is the best known measure of altruism?

A) the Helping Attitude Scale
B) the Volunteerism Assessment
C) the Voluntary Contributions Mechanism
D) the Self-Report Altruism Scale

Question 37

Directing empathy toward others outside of one's ethnic group is referred to as ______.

A) multicultural competence
B) empathetic acculturation
C) cultural pluralism
D) ethnocultural empathy

Question 38

Teaching people that it is okay to feel good about helping others is one way to increase altruistic behaviors. What is another advantage associated with learning this concept?

A) People develop a higher sense of self-esteem.
B) People find religion.
C) People look for ways to be further rewarded.
D) People are more accepted by their peers.

Question 39

Who is most likely to help someone pick up dropped groceries?

A) someone who is retired
B) someone who is in college
C) someone volunteers at an animal shelter
D) someone who is financially well-off

Question 40

Which of the following can help to enhance empathic behaviors?

A) pointing out similarities between oneself and others
B) teaching one that it is legitimate to feel good about helping others
C) showing that the behavior will relieve a feeling of guilt
D) increasing material rewards

Question 41

Which of the following factors is positively correlated with general feelings of gratitude?

A) having been raised by socially conscious and empathetic parents
B) having had a history of deficit or hardship
C) having more than other people to whom one compares oneself
D) having a cultural identity as someone who is religious

Question 42

In what way can gratitude be beneficial for a relationship?

A) Both parties can be indebted to each other.
B) It can help people in a relationship reflect on the good.
C) Practicing it outside of the relationship helps couples understand how to be grateful to each other.
D) Expressing it can enhance the view of the relationship for the recipient and expresser.

Question 43

Which of the following is a component of the definition of gratitude?

A) There is an expected return of something equally valuable.
B) The behavior is valuable to the recipient.
C) It is unintentional.
D) The recipient must be lower in power.

Question 44

Which of the following factors has been found to be associated with someone who keeps a weekly gratitude journal?

A) the amount of exercise undertaken
B) the tendency to eat a healthier diet
C) cynicism about the coming week
D) feeling better about the lives of others

Question 45

What is an example of people building gratitude after times of strife?

A) feeling gratitude for a server who is rushing during lunch time
B) feeling grateful toward a teacher after passing a class
C) being grateful for safe drivers after crossing the street
D) having more positive feelings of gratitude toward firefighters after a wildfire

Question 46

Which of these statements best explains the reason that individuals from South Korea may see a decrease in well-being when participating in gratitude journaling?

A) Mindfulness can take place of the need to partake in journaling.
B) South Koreans are more cynical about behaviors that require someone to feel grateful.
C) Asians are more likely to experience both positive and negative feelings when they are grateful.
D) They are embarrassed about feeling grateful and do not desire to write about it.

Question 47

What brain structure is involved in the experience of gratitude?

A) Heschl's gyrus
B) the primary auditory cortex
C) the medial prefrontal cortex
D) the thalamus

Question 48

A man who had gotten into a terrible car accident was visited by his daughter whom he hadn't talked to in years. This man had gratitude for getting into the car accident, as this event allowed him to reestablish his relationship with his daughter. What is this an example of?

A) benefit finding
B) altruism
C) gratitude meditation
D) optimism

Question 49

Which phrase of gratitude has been shown to differ in perception between cultures?

A) "I owe you one."
B) "Thank you."
C) "You are very helpful."
D) "I appreciate that."

Question 50

Which of the following would predict higher levels of gratitude?

A) help given when no one else is around
B) repeated helping from the same person
C) events of larger magnitude
D) a close friend helping

Question 51

Gratitude has been shown to exist in different magnitudes. According to Ortony and colleagues, when will gratitude be the greatest?

A) when the giving person continuously helps others
B) when the giving person is a friend or family member
C) when the giving person is a stranger
D) when the giving person does something unexpected

Question 52

In Froh and colleagues' examination of the effectiveness of gratitude interventions, who was likely to increase levels of gratitude by writing letters?

A) people from individualistic cultures
B) youth who were low in positive affect
C) youth who were high in positive affect
D) people from collectivist cultures

Question 53

Which of the following is a measure of gratitude?

A) multidimensional prayer inventory
B) prosocial behavior questionnaire
C) the helping attitude scale
D) interpersonal motivations inventory

Question 54

With regard to psychophysiology and gratitude, appreciation is different from gratitude in what way?

A) Appreciation is a long-term effect of helping.
B) Appreciation is similar across cultures.
C) Appreciation is more easily accomplished.
D) Appreciation may or may not include others.

Question 55

Which of the following does gratitude meditation address?

A) learning how to get motivated
B) learning to be more active
C) learning to appreciate blessings
D) learning to be more passive

Question 56

What important condition do gratitude and altruism share?

A) the need for the ability to empathize
B) inequality between the people involved
C) a demonstrated need that exceeds someone's ability to cope
D) a need for social interaction

Question 57

Which term is conceptually similar to gratitude?

A) appreciation
B) honesty
C) empathy
D) acceptance

Question 58

Diffusion of responsibility for helping others is a phenomenon known as ______.

A) altruistic inaction
B) the innocent bystander effect
C) eyewitness indecision
D) situational uncertainty

Question 59

Scores on the GQ-6 (Gratitude Questionnaire) relate to other positive psychology constructs. Which of the following has been shown to correlate positively with higher levels of gratitude on the GQ-6?

A) courageousness
B) positive affect
C) wisdom
D) love

Question 60

The GRAT is a self-report measure used to tap into three factors of gratitude. Which of the following is one of these factors?

A) acceptance
B) pessimism
C) optimism
D) resentment

Question 61

Explain how reciprocity-based, care-based, and kin-based altruism are distinguished from each other.

Question 62

People in larger cities have managed to avoid the innocent bystander effect because of the large numbers of people who can help.

Question 63

Medical students and other people working in health care develop an increased sense of empathy as they are being educated.

Question 64

The GQ-6 is an assessment that measures six different facets of gratitude.

Question 65

Describe the issues that people are faced with when there are opportunities for altruistic actions.

Question 66

Research shows that altruism is state-like instead of trait-like.

Question 67

Identify the main facets of the values-based approach to enhancing altruism.

Question 68

Empathy includes being capable of matching someone else's emotions.

Question 69

Grateful people can have a higher level of forgiveness.

Question 70

The areas of the brain responsible for social relationships, bonding, and social rewards also appear to activate when someone experiences gratitude.

Question 71

Older White Americans report feeling more grateful to God than older African and Mexican Americans.

Question 72

Lessening one's personal distress by helping others is one of the forms of egotism-based altruism.

Question 73

Principilism is a potential contributor to altruistic actions.

Question 74

Gratitude takes place when the person who is helping is doing so without much cost to him or her.

Question 75

People who exhibit prosocial behaviors receive significantly more social support from family and friends.

Question 76

Egotism is the motive to engage in a behavior to help others achieve personal gain.

Question 77

"First, what did I receive" is one of the questions asked by people who practice Naikan, or gratitude meditation.

Question 78

Dissimilar individuals may not spend much time around each other, which can lead to having less empathy for those viewed as different.

Question 79

Describe how you would convince a friend to incorporate more gratitude into their life by explaining the correlates of gratitude that help improve daily life.

Question 80

Describe one example of someone engaging in egotism-based altruism and one example of someone engaging in empathy-based altruism. Briefly explain how the motive of altruism is applicable to each example.