Emotional Closeness as a Mediator of the Effect of Genetic Relatedness on Altruism

Korchmaros, Josephine D.; Kenny, David A.

doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00348

Cited by 179 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Indeed, research indicates that individuals are motivated to expend more energy to benefit others who are important to them or emotionally connected to them (Batson et al, 1997;Burnstein et al, 1994;Korchmaros & Kenny, 2001). When employees care about the beneficiaries of their work, they begin to see their identities as overlapping with beneficiaries' identities (Cialdini, Brown, Lewis, Luce, & Neuberg, 1997), and they perceive acting in the interest of these beneficiaries as consistent with their core personal values (Sheldon & Elliot, 1999;Sheldon & Houser-Marko, 2001).…”

Section: Proposition 5a: the Stronger The Employee's Perception Of Immentioning

confidence: 99%

Relational Job Design and the Motivation to Make a Prosocial Difference

Grant

2007

AMR

1,456

1,482

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This article illustrates how work contexts motivate employees to care about making a positive difference in other people's lives. I introduce a model of relational job design to describe how jobs spark the motivation to make a prosocial difference, and how this motivation affects employees' actions and identities. Whereas existing research focuses on individual differences and the task structures of jobs, I illuminate how the relational architecture of jobs shapes the motivation to make a prosocial difference.Why do I risk my life by running into a burning building, knowing that at any moment . . . the floor may give way, the roof may tumble on me, the fire may engulf me? . . . I'm here for my community, a community I grew up in, a community where I know lots of people, a community that knows me (firefighter; International Firefighters ' Day, 2004 Employees often care about making a positive difference in other people's lives. In the popular press, it is widely assumed that employees want to make a difference (Bornstein, 2004;Everett, 1995;May, 2003;Quinn, 2000). In order to motivate employees, many organizations define their missions in terms of making a difference (Collins & Porras, 1996;Margolis & Walsh, 2001Thompson & Bunderson, 2003). Qualitative research and quantitative research reveal that many employees describe the purpose of their work in terms of making a positive difference in others' lives (Colby, Sippola, & Phelps, 2001;Ruiz-Quintanilla & England, 1996), and research in diverse bodies of literature suggests that this motivation to make a prosocial difference is prevalent in a variety of work contexts. For example, in business, managers often attempt to improve the experiences of organizational members by persuading top administrators to address important issues (Dutton & Ashford, 1993;Meyerson & Scully, 1995) and by taking proactive steps to help proté gé s develop skills and advance their careers (Higgins & Kram, 2001). In public service, employees often place their own lives in jeopardy, beyond the call of duty, in order to protect the welfare of others: police officers chase armed suspects in order to safeguard their communities (Marx, 1980), and ambulance drivers speed through red lights at busy intersections in order to rescue victims (Regehr, Goldberg, & Hughes, 2002).Despite the evidence that employees are motivated to make a positive difference in other people's lives, the organizational literature is relatively silent about the sources of this motivation. Existing research suggests that dispositions may shape employees' motivations to make a prosocial difference. Employees who see their work as a calling want their efforts to make

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Section: Proposition 5a: the Stronger The Employee's Perception Of Immentioning

confidence: 99%

Relational Job Design and the Motivation to Make a Prosocial Difference

Grant

2007

AMR

1,456

1,482

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“…These early forms of "cooperative awareness" between caregiver and child begin to create a world of shared meaning, empathic understanding and appropriate linking of one's own emotions with those of others that then generalize beyond the parent-child dyad. " (Zahn-Waxler 1991,155-156) Relevant to the current research, Korchmaros and Kenny (2001) have argued that `emotional closeness' may mediate "the effect of genetic relatedness on altruism".…”

Section: Confirming That Social Bonding Mediates Social Behaviour In mentioning

confidence: 63%

Social Bonding and Nurture Kinship: Compatibility between Cultural and Biological Approaches

Holland

2004

SSRN Journal

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Abstract''`ýýThe current thesis aims to clarify some aspects of the relationship between biology and social bonds. The central task is to demonstrate that, despite clear problems of some past approaches claiming to represent biology, there is non-reductive compatibility between the perspective from cultural approaches documenting processes of social bonding in humans and the perspective from basic biological theory. In demonstrating this compatibility, the thesis also attempts to contribute to delineating the utility and limits of applying insights from biology to understanding aspects of human social behaviour, and to sociological study in general. The areas of social bonding and social relationships under focus are mainly at the level of individuals and primary social groups, rather than a structural-functional approach often employed in classical sociology of the family and comparative sociology.The thesis initially reviews recent cultural approaches to understanding social bonding, and notes the potential academic value of a clarification of the association between social kinship and physical ('related by blood') kinship. In reviewing biological theory on social bonding and social behaviour, it is argued that classic sociobiological interpretations of this biological theory are erroneous in some crucial respects, and a different interpretation is argued for. Evidence on processes mediating social bonding in social mammals and particularly in primates is reviewed. It is demonstrated that circumstantial, social and contextual 'cues' typically mediate the formation of primary social bonds in these species, not genealogical relationship per se, and that these findings are compatible with basic biological theory. In the human case, it is demonstrated that the current interpretation of biological theory is also compatible with established disciplines closely associated with detailing mechanisms of social bonding (such as attachment theory). The consensus here is again that social bonds are mediated by various social and contextual cues rather than genealogical relationship per se. Various useful feedback has been provided by reviewers of earlier drafts of the thesis.My thanks especially to

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“…Historically, altruistic behaviors were described as undergirded by self-interest (Holmes, Miller, & Lerner, 2002) and mediated by factors such as emotional closeness (Korchmaros & Kenny, 2001). Theories such as Competitive Altruism Hypothesis stated that altruistic behaviors are enacted for reputational purposes (Hardy & Vugt, 2006).…”

Section: Interdisciplinary Movement To Pluralismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-interest and Altruism: Pluralism as a Basis for Leadership in Business

Joseph

2015

BMS

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The paper outlines the case for pluralism between self-interest (egoism) and altruism in business leadership. Scientific progression demonstrating pluralism is discussed, providing a multidisciplinary view of pluralism from evolutionary biology, psychology, moral philosophy, economic theory and organisational behavior. Findings show that myopic views of self-interest and altruism were once dominant in a number of fields however shifts in contemporary theory have provided a basis for pluralism in business leadership. Pluralism is yet to find grounding in leadership ethics, which still widely views "good leadership" through the lens of altruistic orientations. For leaders in business, the relevance of both self-interest and altruistic orientations are described. The paper seeks to address the divide between self-interest and altruism for business leaders, advocating for a realistic and pragmatic pluralistic approach to guide future research.

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Emotional Closeness as a Mediator of the Effect of Genetic Relatedness on Altruism

Cited by 179 publications

References 22 publications

Relational Job Design and the Motivation to Make a Prosocial Difference

Relational Job Design and the Motivation to Make a Prosocial Difference

Social Bonding and Nurture Kinship: Compatibility between Cultural and Biological Approaches

Self-interest and Altruism: Pluralism as a Basis for Leadership in Business

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