Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Psychology
Supervisor
Dr. James Olson
Abstract
For years social psychologists have examined factors that influence the likelihood that
people will help others. Recently, theorists in two separate streams of thought have independently proposed that psychological boundaries are an important determinant of helping behaviour. According to boundary models of helping, people help others when they consider morality and/or justice to be applicable—but the application of morality (Reed & Aquino, 2003) and/or justice (Opotow, 1990) is constrained by a psychological boundary. Others who fall outside this boundary do not receive help because morality and/or justice arc not perceived to apply to them. Critics of boundary models (e.g. Hafer & Olson, 2003) have pointed out that they conflate morality and justice with prosocial behaviour; negative treatment can at times be just and moral if such treatment is warranted by an individual’s behaviour. Thus, proponents of the deservingness perspective (e.g. Olson, Hafer, Cheung, & Conway, in press) argued that morality and
justice generally apply to all targets and that targets are allotted what they are perceived to deserve. According to this perspective, some people may receive less help because people perceive them to be less deserving. The current work compared predictions derived from each theory. Two studies provided support for the deservingness perspective: participants generally gave to charities in accordance with what they perceived each to deserve, especially when morality was situationally salient. No support was garnered for a boundary of either morality or justice. Results suggest that efforts to increase aid should focus on improving perceived deservingness rather than the applicability of morality or justice.
Recommended Citation
Conway, Paul J., "IS THERE A BOUNDARY TO MORALITY OR JUSTICE? A DESERVINGNESS PERSPECTIVE ON DONATIONS TO CHARITY" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4897.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4897