In India, majority of people are employed in the unorganized sectors and they are the ones hardest hit by the Covid-19 lockdown. A couple of days after the lockdown in India came into force; we saw images of thousands of labourers, at bus stands, highways and railway tracks walking back to their homes, hundreds of kilometers away. Some weren’t even sure what their journey would be, but had determination to go forward. It’s plain and simple fact that daily earners will find it hard to make their ends meet.
As in the past, members of the civil society came out during Covid-19 lockdown to help those in need. These good Samaritans stepped out of their homes to help the less privileged citizens of our country, risking their own health and lives when it was very easy to hold back and not to leave their comfort zone. Sensing the need, even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his video address to the nation asked the citizens of the country, that whoever has the capacity, should take care of nine families during the period.
During crisis or emergency situations, humans tend to think about themselves and those who matter to them. However, during the coronavirus crisis, many individuals also focused their attention on the plight of the under privileged around them. They were able to provide necessary food items, cooked food, and water etc. to people who they have never met or heard of in their life. These people were from a totally different socio-economic class blurring the regional and religion divides.
Social psychology describes these acts of goodness or actions to benefit others as prosocial behaviour. Prosocial behaviour has no involved benefits for the person who provides help. Examples of prosocial behaviour includes giving charity even when a person is not getting any real benefit in return, helping a stranded driver to change a Tyre, volunteering for a cause etc. In simple terms it is an opposite of anti-social where the intention is to hurt others but on the other hand the intention for doing prosocial act is only to provide help to someone in need.
A model of prosocial behaviour was given in 1970 by Latane & Darley. They hypothesized that providing help depends on several factors like perceiving a situation as an emergency, interpreting it as an emergency, taking the responsibility to act, knowing how to provide help and finally deciding to help.
A question to ponder is why don’t people help every time they see others in need? There are several factors which are responsible for our inaction. One of the factors is ‘’Pluralistic ignorance’’.
Pluralistic ignorance occurs when people are less likely to offer help when they rely on others to act but nobody is sure about the genuineness and gravity of the situation. So, when the information is incorrect, situation is not perceived as an emergency and thus, no helping behaviour occurs.
In the era of WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook people have developed strong means to be connected to the happenings around them and other places in the world. The information flow during the crisis period is always huge and there is constant flashing of news, photographs and messages regarding the needs of the necessitous. This helps in noticing the emergency and taking necessary actions.
Individuals are more inclined to help when they know that no other help will reach and will restrain themselves once they are aware that help is reaching through other sources. This phenomenon is known as ‘’Diffusion of responsibility’’ and it is influences our prosocial behaviours.
Another factor which actuates people to help includes clarity in terms of what exactly is needed. If a person knows what is required and has the means to deliver the required help, he/she is more likely to act. Some people are born trouble-shooters. They can mobilize resources quickly are relied upon by their peers for such works.
Police administration, our friends, relatives and neighbours worked as a social model for us during Covid-19 lockdown. When we see others providing help then it becomes a standard for doing good in a particular situation and can be a source of potential motivation for us to engage in prosocial behaviour. Our level of motivation also determines whether we are going to help someone or not as people tend to weigh the negatives and positives of engaging in a prosocial behaviour in a particular situation.
Man booked for refusing to eat food cooked by Dalit at quarantine centre
Lastly people who have altruistic personalities are more inclined to help others. Altruistic personality traits are characterized by the concern for the welfare of others, they feel socially responsible, selfless and have sympathy and empathy for others.
Altruism is defined as a selfless concern for the well-being of others and it involves helping people without thinking about any benefit to the self.
Research has shown that human beings have an enormous capacity to engage in prosocial acts. This coming together of people to help the underprivileged during this lockdown period is a remarkable example of unity, determination and service above self. As in the words of John Holmes “There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up.”
