Prosocial Behavior And The Human Existence

Altruism is a concept in which the individual sacrifices regard for themselves in the interest of another. The ethics of altruism state that a person should act in a matter where their self-sacrifice yields the greater well being on the whole. To put that statement in the form of a fundamental principle of rightness, an action is right if and only if (and because) the action brings a net-gain of well being to anyone except the individual performing the action. The altruistic mentality of an individual according to this moral theory means that any action that they undertake should be in the interest of others rather than themselves. The ethics of this concept also state that relationships of greater value to the individual carrying out an action should come second in priority to those they have with strangers since the close relationship has a much more meaningful connection to a person’s life. In these situations, the only morally correct way of acting is in the way that defeats the well being of the agent of an action for the sake of others.

Altruism: “Devotion to the welfare of others, regard for others, as a principle of action; opposed to egoism or selfishness” (Britannica Online, 2008). Altruism is taking care of

Altruism, also known as selflessness, is one of the most puzzling topics in the public domain today. The main issue from the perspective of many scholars is how altruism can be effective. Even though many people get involved in lifelong altruism, only a few of them emerge to be effective in it. What could be the reason behind this? And what makes altruism such a common issue that everyone needs to engage in it? The producer, Peter Singer, puts on important points that give more light on the urgency of the altruism to the younger generation and how to make it effective in the long run.

I think that this is just how kindness works; if someone does someone nice for you without a reason it spreads to you and makes you want to help someone else, kindness is

Altruism is when the actions of a person promote the best consequences for others, yet do not benefit the person who performed the act. Abruzzi and McGandy (2006) explain that Auguste Comte developed the term to support his ethical stance that humans are morally obliged to serve the interests of others,

Altruism refers to the concern for the welfare and well being of others without personal gains or

I find this topic for a journal really interesting because I feel as if the whole idea of helping people without doing harm is the entire focus of this class. We discussed this point in Robert Lupton’s Toxic Charity and we are talking about it now in Tori Hogan’s Beyond Good Intentions. This idea of helping without doing harm interesting because most people probably feel like they are helping others when in reality they may be causing more harm than good. In my opinion, it is possible to help without doing harm, however, there is a fine line between help and harm that can sometimes be difficult to see.

I agree with Deigh in that they are different types of helping. I also think that it was a selfish motive to help an old lady across the street for praise from others. I liked how you said “I believe that a helping behavior that is done from happiness holds more contentment because it is a genuine feeling rather than a temporary satisfaction from praise for the help given” very

Further, another form for caring is altruism this is characterized as helping others without any benefits in return. Altruism is acting to enhance an individual’s welfare regardless of the actions and consequences that can be brought upon oneself.

Doing good to others can end up helping you in the long run. That is the theme of two books I have read: The Ant and the Dove and The Hunger Games. In both of these books the main characters help each other and it ended up saving their lives.

Many have defined altruism in a similar context, a special form of helping behaviour that is “an act that is motivated by the desire to benefit another individual rather than oneself” (Hogg &Vaughan, 2008). An altruistic act does not necessarily have a negative or zero value to the actor (Margolis, 1982) but a true altruistic act is detrimental to the actor's fitness and enhances another individual’s fitness, in other words, a selfless act (Batson, 1991). Throughout the evolution of altruism, there have been many controversies about the existence of true altruism. Most theories have argued that it stems from ulterior motives, but does that prove

First, it is important to understand what altruism is. Altruism is any act carried out by an individual in order to benefit another individual. [1, 2] At first glance,

Prosocial behavior and altruism are two topics that are being studied within social psy- chology to try to understand the motivation behind humans to help those in need. Researchers have made various theories of why some people are more willing to help humans in need than other people and why people choose to help victims when they do. These theories do a great deal of explaining why exactly prosocial behavior and altruism occur when they do with regard to genetics, culture, and many other factors that may influence this behavior, such as race, gender, and similarity of the victim and helper. Naturalistic observational studies have also been made by researchers to learn more behind the cause of this helping behavior and many cases are looked at for real life examples.

Lets say you were driving to a friends wedding, you notice a car go off the road and flip up side down in a deep river. Without a thought you take off your shoes and run towards the accident. With the driver still in the car, you jump into the river to save the driver. You weren’t a great swimmer and you were having trouble breathing, but your heart was telling you, “You need to save the driver.” This is an example of altruism. Altruism is the belief that the well-being of others is equally, if not more, important that the well-being or survival of the self.

How do humans actually behave when faced with the decision to help others? The innate desire that compels humans to help is called altruism by psychologists. Through this feeling, humans transform from a selfish jerk to a more compassionate and caring person. Some psychologists believe that this feeling stems from nature itself. Despite the fact that some altruistic acts originate from the pressures of society, altruism predominantly comes from the survival of the fittest, the feeling of empathy, and the selfish desire to benefit your own kin.