The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 1 From Maki, A., Vitriol, J. A., Dwyer, P. C., Kim, J. S., & Snyder, M. (in press). The Helping Orientations Inventory: Measuring propensities to provide autonomy and dependency help. European Journal of Social Psychology. This document contains all of the measures and materials referenced in the above article, and in combination with the method section in the article should be sufficient for replication. You may contact Alexander Maki with any questions regarding these materials at alexander.maki@vanderbilt.edu
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 2 Study 3 Survey Helping Orientations Inventory Please assess the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Strongly Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Strongly Agree 1. Helping other people eventually allows for them to take care of themselves. 2. Teaching people to take care of themselves is good for society because it makes them independent. 3. When helping people, reaching their goals is the only thing that matters. 4. Helping other people only makes them more needy in the future. 5. The goal of helping should be to make sure that people can eventually take care of their own needs. 6. Helping creates a weaker society because people will come to depend on others in times of hardship. 7. In general, solving other people s problems for them is bad for society because they come to expect it in the future. 8. I help others because I like solving other people s problems. 9. Teaching people to take care of themselves is bad for society because it makes them dependent. 10. Helping others now makes them better able to solve their own problems in the future. 11. The goal of helping should be to make sure that people have their immediate needs met. 12. I help others so that they can learn to help themselves.
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 3 13. Helping others now will only make them dependent on others to solve their problems in the future. 14. People are more deserving of help when they have previously made an effort to help themselves. 15. Helping can strengthen society because it brings together those who can help and those who need help. 16. I help others so that they can learn to solve their own problems. 17. Helping is all about making people better able to fix their own problems. 18. Helping creates a stronger society because it teaches people to solve their problems in times of hardship. 19. In general, solving other people s problems for them is good for society because it helps meet immediate needs. 20. Helping can weaken society because it divides society into those who can help and those who need help. 21. I like to try to help people even if the issue might come up again. 22. I help others because they are unable to help themselves. 23. people deserve help equally regardless of their personality and life circumstances. 24. I like to help individuals develop the skills and knowledge to help themselves. 25. I help others because I like taking care of people s problems. 26. Helping others makes them less able to solve their own problems. 27. Solving other people s problems for them makes their situation worse in the long run.
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 4 28. I help others when I know that my efforts will create lasting change and not just immediate change. 29. Helping others makes them better able to solve their own problems. 30. When helping people, equipping them with knowledge and skills is the most important thing. 31. Solving other people s problems makes them better off in the long run. 32. Helping is all about fixing people s problems for them. Autonomy/Dependency x Global/Local Poverty Organizations (randomized order for participants) We are going to show you four organizations, and we would like you to respond to the questions that follow the description of each organization. Global X Autonomous Organization A is an international organization fighting global poverty. Our mission is to serve individuals and families in the poorest communities around the world. Organization A primary focus is on tackling the underlying causes of poverty by improving the quality and access of basic education, preventing the spread of disease, providing basic healthcare, increasing access to clean water and sanitation, and expanding economic opportunity. We work closely with local and national governments and organizations to meet these goals, so that communities are in a better position to address the underlying causes of poverty. How interested are you in volunteering for this organization? How effective do you think this organizations approach to fighting poverty is? Global X Dependency Organization B is an international organization dedicated to fighting poverty around the world. Our goal is to alleviate the suffering experienced by the poor. Organization B primary focus is on providing food, shelter and compassion to those in need by organizing and maintaining soup kitchens, food banks, homeless shelters, and healthcare
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 5 clinics in many communities around the world. These projects will help to ensure that needy individuals go will receive food and shelter. How interested are you in volunteering for this organization? How effective do you think this organizations approach to fighting poverty is? Local X Autonomous Organization C is a national organization dedicated to fighting poverty in the United States, including Minnesota. Our goal is to engage in community-based interventions to combat the major causes of poverty. Accordingly, Organization C primary focus is on providing people with meaningful work, safe communities, healthcare, and quality education in low-income neighborhoods throughout the country. We believe that these actions will help reduce the rate of poverty, and improve the future prospects of all individuals to get out and stay out of poverty. How interested are you in volunteering for this organization? How effective do you think this organizations approach to fighting poverty is? Local X Dependency Organization D is a national organization dedicated to fighting poverty in the United States, including Minnesota. Our goal is to engage in community-based interventions to alleviate the suffering of the poor. At Organization D we work to ensure that all individuals have adequate food and shelter by organizing and maintaining food kitchens, homeless shelters, and healthcare clinics in at-risk neighborhoods throughout the U.S. At least in the short term, all needy people will have something to eat and a place to eat. How interested are you in volunteering for this organization?
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 6 How effective do you think this organizations approach to fighting poverty is? (new page) Prosocial Personality Battery (Penner et al., 1995) Below are a number of statements that may or may not describe you, your feelings, or your behavior. Please read each statement carefully and respond using the scale below. There are no right or wrong responses. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly Disagree Agree 1. When people are nasty to me, I feel very little responsibility to treat them well. 2. I would feel less bothered about leaving litter in a dirty park than in a clean one. 3. No matter what a person has done to us, there is no excuse for taking advantage of them. 4. With the pressure for grades and the widespread cheating in school nowadays, the individual who cheats occasionally is not really as much at fault. 5. It doesn't make much sense to be very concerned about how we act when we are sick and feeling miserable. 6. If I broke a machine through mishandling, I would feel less guilty if it was already damaged before I used it. 7. When you have a job to do, it is impossible to look out for everybody's best interest. 8. I sometimes find it difficult to see things from the "other person's" point of view. 9. When I see someone being taken advantage of, I feel kind of protective towards them. 10. I sometimes try to understand my friends better by imagining how things look from their perspective. PT 11. Other people's misfortunes do not usually disturb me a great deal. 12. If I'm sure I'm right about something, I don't waste much time listening to other
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 7 people's arguments. 13. When I see someone being treated unfairly, I sometimes don't feel very much pity for them. 14. I am usually pretty effective in dealing with emergencies. 15. I am often quite touched by things that I see happen. 16. I believe that there are two sides to every question and try to look at them both. 17. I tend to lose control during emergencies. 18. When I'm upset at someone, I usually try to "put myself in their shoes" for a while. 19. When I see someone who badly needs help in an emergency, I go to pieces. PART 2: Below are a set of statements, which may or may not describe how you make decisions when you have to choose between two courses of action or alternatives when there is no clear right way or wrong way to act. Some examples of such situations are: being asked to lend something to a close friend who often forgets to return things; deciding whether you should keep something you have won for yourself or share it with a friend; and choosing between studying for an important exam and visiting a sick relative. Please read each statement carefully and respond using the scale below. 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Uncertain Agree Strongly Disagree Agree 20. My decisions are usually based on my concern for other people. 21. My decisions are usually based on what is the most fair and just way to act. 22. I choose alternatives that are intended to meet everybody's needs. 23. I choose a course of action that maximizes the help other people receive. 24. I choose a course of action that considers the rights of all people involved. 25. My decisions are usually based on concern for the welfare of others. Below are several different actions in which people sometimes engage. Read each of them and decide how frequently you have carried it out in the past. Please read each statement carefully and respond using the scale below.
The Helping Orientations Inventory Open Materials 8 1 2 3 4 5 Never Once More than Once Often Very Often 26. I have helped carry a stranger's belongings (e.g., books, parcels, etc.). 27. I have allowed someone to go ahead of me in a line (e.g., supermarket, copying machine, etc.) 28. I have let a neighbor whom I didn't know too well borrow an item of some value (e.g., tools, a dish, etc.). 29. I have, before being asked, voluntarily looked after a neighbor's pets or children without being paid for it. 30. I have offered to help a handicapped or elderly stranger across a street. Demographics Finally, we would like you to give us a little information about yourself. Before completing this questionnaire, please respond to the following background questions. 1. What is your age? 2. Your gender? 3. Please indicate your race/ethnicity. a. Latino/Hispanic b. Black/African American/African c. Asian/Asian American d. White/Caucasian e. Native American f. Other