From Jerusalem to Jericho: A Study of Situational and Dispositional Variables in Helping Behavior
Author(s)
Darley, J. M.; Batson, C. D.
Abstract
The paper examined the influence of situational variables and religiosity, as measured by several personality scales (e.g., the Religious Life Inventory), on the helping behavior of 40 theology students in an emergency situation suggested by the parable of the Good Samaritan. Participants going between 2 buildings encountered a shabbily dressed person slumped by the side of the road. Participants in a hurry to reach their destination were more likely to pass by without stopping. Some participants were going to give a short talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan, others on a nonhelping relevant topic; this made no significant difference in the likelihood of their giving the victim help. Religious personality variables did not predict whether participant would help the victim or not. However, if participant did stop to offer help, the character of the helping response was related to his type of religiosity.
