Which of the following statements accurately describes the relationship between empathy and helping behavior?

• A. Empathy has no effect on whether people choose to help others.
• B. Empathy increases the likelihood that an individual will help someone in need.
• C. Empathy always leads to selfish behavior rather than helping others.
• D. Empathy decreases the chances of helping because it causes emotional distress.

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the concept of empathy in psychology. Empathy refers to the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, which often motivates prosocial behavior.
2. Step 2: Recognize what helping behavior means. Helping behavior is any action intended to benefit others, often influenced by emotional and cognitive factors like empathy.
3. Step 3: Analyze how empathy influences helping behavior. Empathy typically increases the likelihood of helping because when people feel what others feel, they are more motivated to alleviate their distress.
4. Step 4: Consider alternative statements. For example, empathy does not have no effect, nor does it always lead to selfish behavior or decrease helping due to emotional distress, as these contradict established psychological findings.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the statement 'Empathy increases the likelihood that an individual will help someone in need' accurately describes the relationship between empathy and helping behavior.