Pay It Forward
Pay It Forward University of Phoenix
PSY/490
August 27, 2012
Radha Shankar
Pay It Forward
The ability to give of one’s self is within every individual; it is an endless waterfall of giving and receiving. When an individual does something nice or caring for another, the individual receiving the kindness generally feels the need to give back; it moves recipients to share and increase the act of kindness they have received. Unfortunately, in some instances, an act of kindness can turn negative if the recipient is not open to receiving; the Good Samaritans law assists individuals with helping others without repercussions. A good Samaritan (in legal terms) “…refers to someone who renders aid in an emergency…” (UsLegal, 2012, p. 1). Being a good Samaritan in itself is an act of kindness; one is not obligated to stop and help in an emergency and in most cases, individuals walk away.
An Act of Kindness
The act of kindness that I preformed recently happened in early August; I was at the grocery store and saw a family of four shopping; I noticed their cart had very little food and the mother kept putting food back that the kids were asking for; I started a conversation with her about the economy and how tough it’s getting for everyone. As we talked I could see her stress levels rise; I made her aware of various government and state resources that I was certain she would qualify for. The mother began to tell me that she has applied for those resources but has never heard anything back from the agency; I gave her my number and told her to give me a call and I would do my best to advocate for her. I then bought her groceries and told her not to worry about it. Part of my job at Partners in Housing is to help advocate for individuals who need specific resources but are not certain how to go about applying for them; the woman called the next day and I began the process of advocating for her. When I checked up on her, I found out she had received food assistance,
PSY/490
August 27, 2012
Radha Shankar
Pay It Forward
The ability to give of one’s self is within every individual; it is an endless waterfall of giving and receiving. When an individual does something nice or caring for another, the individual receiving the kindness generally feels the need to give back; it moves recipients to share and increase the act of kindness they have received. Unfortunately, in some instances, an act of kindness can turn negative if the recipient is not open to receiving; the Good Samaritans law assists individuals with helping others without repercussions. A good Samaritan (in legal terms) “…refers to someone who renders aid in an emergency…” (UsLegal, 2012, p. 1). Being a good Samaritan in itself is an act of kindness; one is not obligated to stop and help in an emergency and in most cases, individuals walk away.
An Act of Kindness
The act of kindness that I preformed recently happened in early August; I was at the grocery store and saw a family of four shopping; I noticed their cart had very little food and the mother kept putting food back that the kids were asking for; I started a conversation with her about the economy and how tough it’s getting for everyone. As we talked I could see her stress levels rise; I made her aware of various government and state resources that I was certain she would qualify for. The mother began to tell me that she has applied for those resources but has never heard anything back from the agency; I gave her my number and told her to give me a call and I would do my best to advocate for her. I then bought her groceries and told her not to worry about it. Part of my job at Partners in Housing is to help advocate for individuals who need specific resources but are not certain how to go about applying for them; the woman called the next day and I began the process of advocating for her. When I checked up on her, I found out she had received food assistance,
References: UsLegal, (2012). Good Samaritans Law and Legal Definition. http://definitions.uslegal.com/g/good-samaritans/