Abstract
This research aimed to describe the dynamics of begging behavior in big cities in Indonesia, explain the psychological and social of the behavior, as well as examine the compatibility of the prosocial behavior decision-making model with the behavior of giving money to beggars by inhabitants of Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. This research used a qualitative method namely interview with 20 participants (9 males, 11 females) age of 21-46 years old of various occupations (student, lecturer, trader, employee, etc.) and ethnicities (Chinese, Javanese, Betawinese, and Maduranese) who still give money or goods to beggars when this research was conducted. During the interview process, the authors provided intervention to participants in the form of fear communication and minimal counseling with the purpose to divert their intention of giving to beggars into giving of the donation through authorized disseminator of social assistance. This research found that factors such as religion, compassion, institutional corruption, and law enforcement play important roles in determining preferred target of prosocial behavior. Nevertheless, the cognitive-emotional intervention conducted by the authors was successful, which was indicated by the fact of 12 of the 20 participants agreeing to divert their target of prosocial behavior. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p1817
Highlights
Gentleman: If I should be seen giving you money, I may incur a penalty; for it absolutely against law to relieve a sturdy beggar, and to give such as you a single farthing
This research found that the intervention performed by the authors by using fear communication and minimal counseling is effective in diverting the target of prosocial behavior from beggars on the street to aid channeling agencies
This study found that, for Indonesian, spiritual/religious factors play a major role in determining the actions by people that are still intent on giving money to beggars, on any condition
Summary
Gentleman: If I should be seen giving you money, I may incur a penalty; for it absolutely against law to relieve a sturdy beggar, and to give such as you a single farthing. The capital of Indonesia, is viewed as a “city of hope”, so are other big cities in Indonesia. Many people choose to migrate to those cities. The number of beggars in Indonesia reaches 15 million people, and this number belongs in five of the largest in the world (Khagen, 2014). In Jakarta, the number of beggars continues to rise. There are 2,394 beggars in Jakarta up to the year 2013 (Guruh, 2013); compared with the total population of Jakarta of 12.7 million people (Fadillah, 2014) and the total population of beggars in Indonesia of 178,262 people (Yusuf, 2014)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
