Meeting recipients’ needs in dyadic cross-group helping: When the nature of the helper’s motivation matters

Abstract

This report introduces a series of hypotheses on how intergroup (dis)similarities between the helper’s and the recipient’s group may affect the recipient’s perceptions of the helper’s need-responsiveness. Hypotheses were tested in a real world context of helping (intercultural volunteerism) by using data from two discrete samples of interacting participants. As hypothesized, among culturally similar helper-recipient dyads (but not among dissimilar dyads) feelings of other-focused empathy increased the helper’s perceived responsiveness to the recipient’s needs, whereas among culturally dissimilar dyads (but not among similar dyads) ego-focused concerns decreased the helper’s need-responsiveness. In addition, among culturally dissimilar dyads helper’s need-responsiveness was more strongly contingent upon whether he or she found the recipient attractive or not than among culturally similar dyads. These findings suggest that members of out-groups who may require need-sensitive help most (members of dissimilar out-groups perceived as unattractive) may have a significantly reduced chance to receive it.