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Altruism

This document discusses altruism, defined as unselfish concern for others. It addresses what motivates altruism, whether it is learned or innate, and the types of prosocial moral reasoning involved. Key points include that altruism is motivated by both empathy and self-interest, it may evolve through kin selection, reciprocity or group selection, and children learn altruism through social norms, modeling behavior and moral development. Altruism benefits both the altruist and recipients through improved health, well-being and relationships.

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Zafar Iqbal
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116 views

Altruism

This document discusses altruism, defined as unselfish concern for others. It addresses what motivates altruism, whether it is learned or innate, and the types of prosocial moral reasoning involved. Key points include that altruism is motivated by both empathy and self-interest, it may evolve through kin selection, reciprocity or group selection, and children learn altruism through social norms, modeling behavior and moral development. Altruism benefits both the altruist and recipients through improved health, well-being and relationships.

Uploaded by

Zafar Iqbal
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Altruism

Questions to be Addressed

• What is Altruism?
• What motivates people to help others?
• Are differences in the tendency to help
others learned?
• What kind of prosocial moral reasoning is
involved in altruism?
What is altruism?
Discussion Question:
What is Altruism?

• Rooted in the Latin word alter – meaning


other
• Altruism – means “living for others”
• Key component – selflessness – an
unselfish regard for the welfare of others
• Altruism was ignored as an area of study
in social psychology until the mid-20th
century even though Auguste Comte
coined the term 100 years prior
Is your service-learning
experience an example of
altruism?
Discussion Question:
What is prosocial behavior?
Discussion Question:
Altruism vs. Prosocial Behavior
• Need to consider the role of selflessness and an
individual’s motivation for helping
• Altruism – p. 245 – “refers to acts that are
carried out voluntarily by individuals who have
no concern for themselves and who have no
expectation of any kind of reward.”
• Prosocial behavior – p. 245 – “is a broader
category of helping behavior that does not
stress personal motives, whereas altruism must
involve some kind of clear self-sacrifice.”
Types of Altruism
• Genetic altruism: As the name suggests, this type of
altruism involves engaging in altruistic acts that
benefit close family members. For example, parents
and other family members often engage in acts of
sacrifice in order to provide for the needs of family
members.
• Reciprocal altruism: This type of altruism is based
on a mutual give-and-take relationship. It involves
helping another person now because they may one
day be able to return the favor.
.
• Group-selected altruism: This involves engaging
in altruistic acts for people based upon their group
affiliation. People might direct their efforts toward
helping people who are part of their social group or
supporting social causes that benefit a specific
group

• Pure altruism: Also known as moral altruism, this


form involves helping someone else, even when it is
risky, without any reward. It is motivated by
internalized values and morals.
What motivates you to help
others?
Discussion Question:
Motivation to Help:
Social Exchange Theory
• The decision to help others involves a cost-
benefit analysis
• We enter into relationships because we derives
some personal benefit from doing so which
suggests that no act is truly altruistic
• From this perspective, helping is done out of
self-interest (egoistic motivations).
• What do you think of this perspective?
Motivation to Help:
Batson’s Model – Empathy-Altruism

• Batson argues that true altruism does exist and


that empathy is what sets it apart as altruism
• He argues that a person’s motivation for helping
may involve urges that are either egoistic or
altruistic.
▫ Egoistic – people help others hoping to reduce their own
personal distress (feelings of guilt, worry, shame, fear, etc.)
▫ Altruistic – people help others because they feel empathy
toward them and their situation (feelings like compassion,
warmth, softheartedness, etc.)

• What do you think of these ideas?


Evolutionary Theories
• Perhaps helping behavior is a matter of natural
selection.
• Darwin suggested that “altruistic animals risk the
survival of their genes by engaging in self-sacrificing
behaviors that threaten their long-term reproductive
potential.”
• There are three ways that altruistic genes might be
passed on:
▫ Kin Selection
▫ Reciprocity
▫ Group Selection
Evolutionary Theories

• Kin Selection
– Proposes that we are more likely to act
altruistically when it comes to saving our
relatives/blood relations.
• Reciprocal Altruism
– Suggests that helping in the short run
increases the probability that our genes will
be protected in the future.
– What goes around, comes around
– Helps explain non-kin helping behavior
Evolutionary Theories

• Group Selection
– This perspective argues that groups
consisting of cooperative members are more
likely to survive and pass on their genes than
groups composed of selfish members
Social Norms
• Social norms – socially constructed expectations
for how we ought to act
• Two classes of social norms around helping
behavior:
▫ Norms that invoke rules of fairness
 Norm of reciprocity – “tit for tat”
 The principle of equity – what’s fair?
 Beliefs about justice – you reap what you sow
▫ Norms that address questions of social
responsibility
 we should help people who are dependent upon us
Brain-Based Rewards
• Altruism activates reward centers in the brain.
Neurobiologists have found that when a person
behaves altruistically, the pleasure centers of
their brain become more active.

• Engaging in compassionate actions activates


the areas of the brain associated with the
reward system.4 The positive feelings created
by compassionate actions then reinforce
altruistic behaviors.
Theories Explaining How We Learn Helping Behavior

• Rewarding Altruism and Prosocial Behavior


– Results of one study showed “subjects who
received a polite thank-you for giving directions
were more likely than subjects who were treated
rudely to later offer help to a confederate.”
• Modeling Altruism and Prosocial Behavior
– Adults and children learn prosocial behavior through
modeling
• Adults are more likely to help if they see someone model
prosocial behavior
Development of Prosocial Behavior

• The tendency to help others increases as


children mature. Children are able to do more
of the following as they mature:
– Understand and accept social norms
– Take the perspective of others
– Empathize
– Feel greater social responsibility and competence
– Greater moral reasoning – the reasons they give for
helping
Impact of Altruism
• While altruism can have some drawbacks when
taken to extremes, it is a positive force that can
benefit both you and others. Altruism has a
wide range of benefits, like:

• Better health: Behaving altruistically can


improve physical health in a variety of ways.
People who volunteer have better overall
health, and regularly engaging in helping
behaviors is linked to a significantly lower
mortality.
• Better mental well-being: Doing good things for
other people can make you feel good about yourself
and the world. Research shows that people
experience increased happiness after doing good
things for other people.

• Better romantic relationships: Being kind and


compassionate can also lead to a better relationship
with your partner, as kindness is one of the most
important qualities that people across all cultures seek
in a romantic partner.

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