Altruism and the Theory of Rational Action: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe

Monroe, Kristen Renwick; Barton, Michael C.; Klingemann, Ute

doi:10.1086/293262

Cited by 93 publications

(31 citation statements)

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“…Oliner and Oliner link a variety of psychosocial conditions to the 'altruist personality' and conclude that rescuers had a capacity for 'extensive relationships', defined as a 'stronger sense of attachment to others and their feeling of responsibility for the welfare of others, including those outside their immediate familial or communal circle' (Oliner and Oliner 1988: 249). Monroe et al (1990) base their study on a sample of 13 rescuers of Jews, an unidentified number of entrepreneurs, and five ordinary Europeans who lived in Nazi-occupied Europe but did not participate in rescuing Jews. They describe the altruism of rescuers in terms of 'selfidentity', by which individuals perceive themselves 'as one with all humankind', an identity which reaches beyond group affiliation, mere empathy, and calculation of expected utility.…”

Section: Motivational Factors: a Critical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2 Why did people risk their lives to benefit others? A handful of scholars have singled out motivations as the prime explanation of these rescue activities (Friedman 1980;Tec 1986;Stein 1988;Oliner and Oliner 1988;Bejski 1989;Fleischner 1989;Monroe et al 1990;Monroe 1991;Geras 1995;Monroe 1996). Notwithstanding their emphasis on motivations, these scholars acknowledged that material opportunities, information, and other situational factors might have played a role in explaining rescue activity (Oliner and Oliner 1988: 271-2;Monroe et al 1990: 108).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Importance of Being Asked

Varese¹,

Yaish²

2000

Rationality and Society

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A common phenomenon in social life is that some individuals help others and a few even risk their lives to benefit others, as in the case of those who helped Jews escape persecution in Nazi Europe. A few scholars single out motivations as the prime explanation of these rescue activities, yet concede that material opportunities, information, and other situational factors might have played a role. Their work, however, stops short of offering an account of the nature and importance of these factors. In this article, we focus on the importance of opportunities and situational factors, with specific reference to the rescue of Jews from persecution during World War II. Following a secondary analysis of data on those who did and did not rescue Jews during the Nazi occupation of Europe, we show that a direct request for help substantially increased the likelihood of being rescued. We also explore the other side of the situation, namely whom were the Jews likely to ask for help? Jews were likely to ask people they knew and people they trusted to act as mediators. Finally, we show that few of those who were asked to help did not help. This finding suggests the existence of a selection mechanism: rescuers signalled their disposition to help and were subsequently asked. We conclude that opportunities and situational factors are crucial in accounting for the observed acts of helping. KEY WORDS

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Section: Motivational Factors: a Critical Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of Being Asked

Varese¹,

Yaish²

2000

Rationality and Society

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“…Both cases have therefore become prominent examples in the ongoing debate on the limitations of RCT (see, e.g. Monroe et al 1990; Green and Shapiro 1994;Friedman 1996;Opp 1997;or Blais 2000;Elster 2000;Boudon 2003). Moreover, an analysis of these two cases seems well suited to test the theoretical applicability and empirical validity of the MFS, since they span a wide spectrum from low-cost to high-cost situations, and from historical to more recent phenomena.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Norms and Rationality in Electoral Participation and in the Rescue of Jews in WWII

Kroneberg

Yaish

Stocké

2010

Rationality and Society

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The rescue of Jews in WWII and electoral participation both constitute prominent puzzles for rational choice theories of human behavior and have given rise to lengthy debates about norms and rationality. To explain both phenomena, we apply the Model of Frame Selection. This theory of action provides an integrated account of norms and rationality, where cost-benefit calculus is replaced by unconditional norm conformity if actors hold strongly activated normative convictions. In support of this hypothesis, our empirical analyses show that strong feelings of social responsibility led actors to disregard the risks of helping. Likewise, intense norms of civic duty can make electoral participation independent of the incentive to express political preferences and the expectation to influence the election outcome. At the same time, the real strength of calculated incentives is revealed by identifying the actors who indeed seem to engage in a reflecting-calculating mode of decision-making.

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“…See Kilpatrick and McCullough, 2002;Ainslie and Haslam et al, 2002; see also, e.g., Batson, 2002;Monroe, 2002;Oliner, 2002;Galston, 1993;Monroe, 1991, pp. 397-399;Monroe et al, 1990. 2 See also Blum (1992, p. 32). If there are times where the "selfless" label might be withheld by those who know the outcomes, that would seem due simply to the suspicion that when people benefit from their choices, these self-benefits are intended, or at least anticipated.…”

Section: Selflessness Vs Self-sacrificementioning

confidence: 99%

“…198, 208, 217;Monroe et al, 1990) may well be superfluous theoretical reconstructions of cognitive realities that are actually humbler and more diverse -reconstructions that claim too much, both scientifically and morally, for the individuals for whose selflessness they purport to account. 15 Despite these differences, there is scope in both 'unthinking' and 'thinking' for exploiting lessons gained from prior experience, and for creative tailoring to novel realities.…”

Section: Unthinking Behavior Generallymentioning

confidence: 99%

Selflessness & Cognition

Lengbeyer

2005

Ethic Theory Moral Prac

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What are the cognitive mechanisms that underlie selfless conduct, both 'thinking' and unthinking? We first consider deliberate selflessness, a manner of selecting acts in which, in evaluating options, one expressly chooses not to weigh the potential consequences for oneself (though this formulation is seen as needing some qualification). We then turn to unthinking behavior in general, and whether we are responsible for it, as the foundation for analyzing the unthinking variety of selflessness. Using illustrative cases (Grenade Gallantry, The Well-Meaning Miner, Ignorant Ilya, Self-Disregarding Sally) we explore just what is involved in setting aside one's self-interests unthinkingly. Eventually, this account links up with work on mental compartmentalization, as it becomes apparent that unthinking selflessness encompasses both unthinking behavior (calling upon inexplicit cognitive utilization of stored images) that is selfless, and thinking behavior (calling upon reasoning with sentences) that is unthinkingly selfless (by virtue of an unreasoned, automatic shift of cognitive standpoint to a 'compartment' that omits information about one's self-interests). The analysis points toward a practical program for generating increased selflessness in ourselves and others.

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Altruism and the Theory of Rational Action: Rescuers of Jews in Nazi Europe

Cited by 93 publications

References 0 publications

The Importance of Being Asked

The Importance of Being Asked

Norms and Rationality in Electoral Participation and in the Rescue of Jews in WWII

Selflessness & Cognition

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