Psychological mechanisms of motive inference for helping behavior: The psychology of the third party interpreted as selfish

Keisuke YAMAMOTO, Lecturer, Kyoto Bunkyo University, Japan

While the act of helping others in need is considered socially desirable, sometimes helpers are accused of being "hypocrites" by third parties. Why are helpers negatively evaluated? It has been shown that people emphasize motives for helping in their evaluations of helpers (Carlson & Zaki, 2018). This study examined how third parties who are not directly involved in helping behavior infer the helpers’ motives. A questionnaire experiment using the scene assumption method indicated that observers’ presence and gender, costs associated with helping behavior, and the third party's praise seeking need influenced motive inferences. This study clarified specific determinants of motive inferences that had not been sufficiently clarified in previous research.