There are many passages from the gospels and other religious books that pose challenges to the different contemporary scientific disciplines. That's why we can call them emblematic. Our specific interest lies in passages that could/should also be analyzed by sociopsychological disciplines, such as anthropology, sociology, history and psychology. These passages are contextualized in some cultural practices (behavior) that, theoretically, go beyond the geographical and temporal borders in which they are situated. We would have several cultural practices to analyze, such as the laying on of hands for healing, commercial relationships, family organization, law codes, religion, state, education, and so on.

In this study, we selected, according to the title, a well-known passage, which has been considered mainly from a religious perspective. It is a brief narrative that involves four characters, with three of them experiencing a possible dilemma: moving forward or interrupting the walk and providing help. Considering that the characters' behaviors are repeated with other actors, regardless of place and time, however, according to similar situational demands, we added a second episode, temporally much later than the first.

Appealing to literary license, it seems acceptable to assume such accounts (situations, plots, actors and behaviors) as narratives. The first narrative is widely known as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. The second, probably known only to the protagonists, will be referred to here as “O Bom Baiano” (The Good Bahian). These narratives were chosen for a psychosocial analysis because they unequivocally exhibit the same classes of social skills, which are highly required in the experiences of helping situations.

The first narrative, attributed to Jesus, is recorded in Luke, Chap. XV, Verse. 25 to 37. Apparently, this narrative had as its main motivation to clarify one of the listeners, a doctor of the law, who asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor”? However, as in other encounters with the disciples and with a wide variety of listeners, Jesus, as a remarkable educator, questioned common behaviors, proposing new models of actions, even though this term was not part of the culture of the time. The first narrative follows, the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

A man on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho fell into the hands of robbers who stripped him of his possessions, covered him with wounds and left him in a terrible condition... It happened that a priest who was passing by saw the wounded man and turned away to the other side of the road... Also a Levite who was following the same path, seeing the wounded man, continued on his journey without stopping. Shortly afterwards, a Samaritan, in the same place, seeing the wounded man, was touched with compassion and approached him to help him, performing the first dressings. Then he loaded the wounded man onto one of his horses and drove to a nearby inn. He paid for lodging, made recommendations, and also agreed to pay any other expenses upon his return.

The second narrative, O Good Bahian, was recorded in memoriam by two of the protagonists and is presented next.

A couple was traveling by car along the BR-101, Salvador (BA) (the city of Salvador in the state of Bahia), bound for João Pessoa (PB) (the city of Joao Pessoa in the State of Paraiba in Brazil).

Still in the State of Bahia, in the vicinity of Feira de Santana, a stone, resulting from the friction of a truck on the asphalt, collided with the glass of the car, shattering it. After a brief stop on the side of the road, they found that except for the windshield nothing else had happened, the couple decided to go into the city to repair the problem. However, they soon realized that the trade was closed due to a local holiday. They saw that some passersby jokingly made negative signs, however, a young man about 35 years old, paired his car with the couple, instructing him to follow him. After a short journey, they stopped at a small house and the Bahian interrupted a friend's rest so that he, the owner of a small shop, could repair it. During the work, the Bahian praised his friend's help and calmed the couple saying that they could continue their journey, fulfilling their commitments. Once the repair was finished, the atmosphere was one of cordiality in the farewells. 

Psychological social analysis

Many centuries separate the two narratives. However, they have several situational aspects in common: travel, accidents, observers, generous provision, and appropriate referrals to difficulties. In the first narrative, five characters make up the events: the victim and the robbers, about whom little is known, a priest and a Levite who watched the wounded man but did nothing, and the Samaritan. One would expect that the priest and the Levite, considering the social group to which they belonged, would do something about the wounded. However, they only changed the side they took along the way, showing that they did not want any involvement with the situation. Such behaviors, which can be termed as avoidance and escaping, are common, and most of us use these strategies. In situations that require participant-helping interventions, such as those in narratives, those who are willing to act need some social skills, especially required for this engagement. In these cases, three are essential: self-control, empathy and assertiveness. We can only know if we learn and have these skills through practice and self-observation.

Some of the terms that designate these skills are familiar to most readers. The meanings of some terms also, for example, self-control and assertiveness referred to in typical expressions of our culture, such as: “I lost control”, “so-and-so was very assertive”, indicate conceptual notions, however, not sufficient for an accurate observation of the behaviors. The exercise of observing and analyzing the behavior of characters in narratives can be an interesting learning alternative.

1. The skill of self-control. It is a fundamental skill in interpersonal relationships. We popularly think of self-control as passivity or, as some say, “not responding, doing nothing”. This is a mistake, because it is not possible, in any interpersonal situation, to stop behaving. Self-control means replacing behaviors with a high probability of producing aversive reactions from the interlocutor, with others, with probable neutral or acceptable reactions. The study of self-control is ancient in psychology, having been stimulated by the famous “marshmallow” experiment (Michel, 1958). In the aforementioned study, children were placed in front of a table with several of the coveted sweets, however, they were instructed that, if they did not pick them up, they would receive a larger portion shortly afterwards. Some children were able to control themselves, having reported what they did, for example, looking at other (neutral) objects in the environment, humming, playing with their hands, walking in the environment, distancing themselves from the desired object, remembering activities they participated in, etc. etc. The children who didn't touch the eatable were followed up until almost adulthood and proved successful in their social relationships. Therefore, self-control is defined by the replacement of behaviors that can generate negative consequences for more acceptable ones.

 2. Empathy is also a skill of fundamental importance, having a strong hereditary basis, but it can be learned and improved through education. It is defined (Del Prette & Del Prette, 2017) as the ability to feel and understand what the other feels or thinks and to communicate this understanding and feeling. It is very interesting that this ability, unlike the others, is part of the repertoire of several species, such as dolphins, gorillas, chimpanzees, dogs, cats..., with reports of episodes of empathy that go beyond groups of the same species. Empathy, it can be argued, forms the essential point of the main Christian social skills that, in the repertoire of Spirits notable for their dedication to others, permeate the basis of sacrificial actions. It is interesting to clarify that this class of social skill does not only occur in situations of help, but also in situations of rejoicing, that is, fraternization for overcoming an illness, acquiring a job, entering a university, etc. In the book “Nosso Lar” by Andre Luiz (2001), there are several reports from this perspective.

3. Assertiveness was initially studied by Wolpe (1957). It is a skill that is opposed, on the one hand, to aggressiveness and, on the other, to passivity. In other words, people with this ability defend their rights as well as those of others. As a clinical correlate, Wolpe described that assertive individuals present with less anxiety when compared to aggressive or passive individuals. Assertiveness, or more precisely, assertive social skills, were defined (Del Prette & Del Prette, 2005, p. 175) as social coping behaviors in situations that involve risk of undesirable reactions on the part of the interlocutor.

In both narratives, the actions of the Samaritan and the Bahian could cause some risks, hence the importance of self-control: observing the situation, inferring events, evaluating victims and then actively participating in the solution of the problem. It can be inferred that the two protagonists showed self-control skills. In the case of the Bahian, the test of asking the couple to accompany him may have been crucial for him to devise his aid plan. The Samaritan, on the other hand, by sending the wounded man to lodging, assured the success of his providence. Both were very empathetic, making correct readings of the situation and certainly managed to put themselves in the shoes of those in need: “what if this had happened to me”?

Finally, there is one aspect that must be mentioned. The Samaritan, at the time of the narrative, was of a people despised by the other Jews. The disciples of Jesus were surprised to see him once talking to a Samaritan woman. One should not engage in conversations “with these people”. Coincidentally, around 20 centuries later, the Northeastern in general, and the Bahian in particular, were victims of prejudice on the part of other Brazilians, especially those from the Southeast and South of the country. The good Bahian, like the Good Samaritan, break the prejudiced practices and leave a lesson and example to be followed: Prejudice or a previous concept can be naturalized and with that justified by several generations, resulting in a great and irreparable harm.

* Translator’s note: Bahian- (born in the state of Bahia, in Brazil, baiano)

P.S.: The author thanks Zilda A. P. Del Prette for the previous reading of this manuscript.

References

Del Prette, A. & Del Prette, Z. A. P. (2017). Social competence: Theoretical-practical manual. Petropolis: Voices.

Del Prette, A. & Del Prette, Z. A. P. (2005). Psychology of interpersonal relationships and social skills: Experiences for group work. Petropolis: Voices.

Luiz, A. (2001). Nosso Lar (Psychographics by Francisco Candico Xavier). Feb.

Mischel, W. (1958). Preference for delayed reinforcement: An experimental study of a cultural observation. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 56, 57-61

Wolpe, J. (1958). Assertive Training. Sao Paulo: Brasiliense.

Almir Del Prette, graduated in Psychology from Fundacao Educacional de Bauru, Master in Psychology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas and PhD in Psychology (Experimental Psychology) from the University of Sao Paulo, is a Full Professor (volunteer) linked to the Postgraduate Program in Special Education and Psychology at the Federal University of São Carlos (SP).