Good Samaritan

Introduction

                John Darley and Daniel Batson were behavioural scientists; they studied the psychology of prosocial behaviour. The act of helping behaviour was the dependent variable while the independent variables were time and religion. The first hypothesis viewed that people who are in a hurry have a low probability of offering assistance to the victims. The second hypothesis indicated that people who encounter a victim while thinking religiously have the lesser chance of helping compared to people who are thinking other things.  The last hypothesis indicated that thinking religion and not thinking does not influence the helping behaviour. A person who follows and believes in the faith of Samaritan their chances of offering assistance is higher compared to those of Levite religion (Batson, 2016).

             A study was carried out; the participants were students of Princeton theological    seminar. The students were given questionnaires to fill about their religion to help them answer the research questions.  The students were to walk into the immediate building to meet with a team and narrate their sermon of Good Samaritan.  On their way, they met a man who has collapsed in a path.  They were in a hurry because they had two more tasks to complete in the other building. One task was to give a speech about seminary jobs, and the other one was to talk about the story of Good Samaritan.  The students in one condition reported that they would be late for the job and in the other one they stated they had less time though they will handle the matter later (Jordan, 2014). As they were walking down the alleyway, they met a man sitting collapsed in the doorway the man was moaning, and he coughed severally.

            The amount of the urgency in the students influenced their helping behaviour, but the task given did not.  It is clear that there was no relationship between religion and helping behaviour. Religion as a quest was the only variable that influenced the helping behaviour. In the real world people hurry because they are needed somewhere by somebody at a specific time (Ross, Nisbett, & Gladwell, 2011).People should stop using excuses and self- justification when helping people. Also, people should slow down and not be in rush through life. If encountered with such a helping situation no matter the hurry it is important to stop and help the victim. People behaviour may say very little about their personalities. The research studies were correct since it was a field experiment and it was carried in a natural way thus increasing the legitimacy of the study. Given that the study was carried out in one day means it achieved realism.  In conclusion, individuals in hurry are less likely to offer assistance. The study of the Good Samaritan is about being kind to others no matter the situation. The results of the Good Samaritan study can be used in real to teach people the importance of offering assistance to the needy people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

 Batson, C. D., & Oxford University Press. (2016). What's wrong with morality?: A social-psychological perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jordan, T. (2014). A year of living virtuously: Weekends off: one woman's search for meaning in an ordinary life.

Ross, L., Nisbett, R. E., & Gladwell, M. (2011). The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology. Pinter & Martin Limited.