Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social‐Motivational Analysis<sup>1</sup>

Marjanovic, Zdravko; Greenglass, Esther R.; Struthers, C. Ward; Faye, Cathy

doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00540.x

Cited by 27 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Judgment of human responsibility (i.e., the extent to which a natural disaster was foreseeable and therefore, to some extent, preventable) is one aspect of the perception of natural disasters that has received little to no attention by psychologists in relation to trauma, treatment, and general clinical issues (see Marjanovic, Greenglass, Struthers, & Faye, ; Skitka, , for exceptions). We argue that one reason for this is the term “natural disaster, which is a misnomer.…”

Section: Helping Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

Marjanovic

Struthers

Greenglass

2011

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

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This investigation examined whether trait variables (empathy, global social responsibility) and perceived human responsibility predict and interact to predict people's helping of natural-disaster victims. In Study 1, participants completed a questionnaire and read one of two bogus earthquake reports which portrayed victims as either prepared or unprepared for a foreseeable earthquake. In Study 2, participants completed a questionnaire about the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Across studies, helping was best elicited from high-empathy individuals who attributed responsibility for disasters to human actions (e.g., government), not natural phenomena (e.g., hurricane). Trait variables correlated with helping when assessed individually, but accounted for little unique variance in helping in multiple regression analyses. Judgment of human responsibility predicted helping when participants were familiar with the target disaster (Study 2) but did not predict helping when the disaster was unfamiliar (Study 1). Theoretical implications for researchers and practical implications for aid agencies are discussed.According to the United Nations (UN), natural disasters are increasing in frequency and severity around the globe (UN, 2011). Rising populations are contributing to the negative impact of natural disasters such that death tolls and devastations are greater in areas with denser human congestion. Also important is the fact that rising populations are influencing poorer inhabitants to leave existing communities and reestablish themselves in areas more vulnerable to natural disasters, such as flood plains, hill sides, and near fault lines. Although our knowledge of natural disasters has blossomed over the last few decades and there has been a proliferation of disaster-resistant technologies, the beneficiaries of these advances are in the minority. They are the residents of affluent nations, such as the United

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Section: Helping Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

Marjanovic

Struthers

Greenglass

2011

Anal Soc Iss & Public Policy

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“…Although blood donation services have enough blood supplies to manage emergencies or natural disasters in the short term, they face substantial challenges to refill the supply chain in both the mid and long terms after an emergency because blood cannot be produced artificially (Marjanovic et al 2009). When faced with emergency situations, the public's prosocial donation behavior is influenced positively (e.g., Sojka and Sojka 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dark Side of Using Emergencies in Direct Marketing Campaigns for Blood Donation Services

2013

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I n this research paper, we investigate whether direct marketing campaigns that rely on emergencies are a successful strategy for nonprofit services. Prior literature grounded in monetary donations suggests that using direct marketing mailings with an emergency context should lead to a higher intention to donate blood than using mailings that are unrelated to emergencies. Contrary to this suggestion, we argue that mailings with an emergency context do not significantly increase the intention to donate beyond the effect from traditional standard invitation mailings with a rational appeal. To control for selection effects, we conducted a large experimental study (N = 1 054). We discover that in mailings of blood donation services, neither the use of emergencies nor the attribution of innocence to emergency victims leads to a significant increase in the intention to donate blood, for both former donors and nondonors, compared to a standard invitation mailing with a rational appeal to donate blood. We did not discover any interaction effect between the attribution of innocence to emergency victims and the drivers of donation behavior. However, the attribution of guilt to emergency victims shows a negative interaction effect on the extrinsic motive of social benefits for nondonors: the donation intention of nondonors driven by social benefits is significantly lower if they are addressed with mailings attributing guilt to the victims of emergencies. These results are highly relevant for the planning of direct marketing activities of nonprofit services.

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“…There are important differences between human-caused and natural disasters, including people's perceptions of who or what is responsible for the disaster. For example, people perceived to be less responsible for a disaster are more likely to be deemed worthy of help (Marjanovic, Greenglass, Struthers, & Faye, 2009). Research has also found that people are more willing to donate to relief of natural disasters compared to human-caused disasters (Zagefka, Noor, Brown, De Moura, & Hopthrow, 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

Responding to natural disasters: Examining identity and prosociality in the context of a major earthquake

Maki

Dwyer

Blazek³

et al. 2018

British J Social Psychol

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How does a major natural disaster relate to individuals’ orientation towards society? We collected repeated cross‐sectional surveys before (n = 644) and after the 2010 Chile earthquake (n = 1,389) to examine levels of national identity, prosocial values, helping motivations, and prosocial behaviours in the context of such a calamitous societal event. Our research questions, derived from the literature on helping in times of crisis, considered how natural disasters may implicate identity and prosociality, as well as how identity, prosocial values, and motivations are linked to prosocial action after a disaster. Higher levels of national identity, helping motivations, and disaster‐related helping were found after the earthquake, suggesting that in the aftermath of a disaster, people unite under a common national identity and are motivated to take action related to disaster relief. National identity and prosocial values were closely linked to helping after the earthquake, but specific helping motivations rarely predicted prosocial behaviours. Additionally, proximity to the epicentre was related to higher levels of national identity and participation in reconstruction efforts. These findings contribute to our understanding of people's responses to natural disasters and suggest ways of encouraging prosocial behaviour in the aftermath of unexpected tragic events.

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Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social‐Motivational Analysis¹

Cited by 27 publications

References 31 publications

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

The Dark Side of Using Emergencies in Direct Marketing Campaigns for Blood Donation Services

Responding to natural disasters: Examining identity and prosociality in the context of a major earthquake

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Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social‐Motivational Analysis1

Cited by 27 publications

References 31 publications

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

Who Helps Natural‐Disaster Victims? Assessment of Trait and Situational Predictors

The Dark Side of Using Emergencies in Direct Marketing Campaigns for Blood Donation Services

Responding to natural disasters: Examining identity and prosociality in the context of a major earthquake

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Product

Resources

About

Helping Following Natural Disasters: A Social‐Motivational Analysis¹