Social Reward And Its Effect On Society

As our modern society develops, people’s cultural values start to alter between altruism to self-interest depending on what benefits them the most. In the article “The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing”, Kohn explains that people are offering help not because of intrinsic factors but through extrinsic rewards. Through Kohn’s effective claims and related sources, they show enough evidence that people’s desire to help others will diminish if rewards were to be removed.

To become a better community member, one must practice altruism. Altruism is the display of good deeds for the well-being of others. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter, “On Being a Good Neighbor”, King tells the story of a good Samaritan and how he participated in all types of altruism by helping the community members around him. King says that because the Samaritan showed universal altruism, “He had a piercing insight into that which is beyond the eternal accidents of race, religion, and nationality” (558). This Samaritan does not let race, religion, or nationality limit his good deeds. This is how King defines universal altruism. One can become a stronger community member by displaying universal altruism because every day we judge people by their race, religion, or nationality. We are naturally biased, but if we let go of the prejudice and biased thoughts then we can do better service and deeds for the members of our community. Through my

Bartel (1976) defines prosocial behaviour as ‘behaviour that intentionally helps or benefits another person’. Batson (1987) defines altruism as ‘helping another person for no reward, and even at some cost to oneself.’ This definition of altruism seemingly depicts the behaviour as selfless, however there is a wealth of research which suggests that this is not the case.

I wasn’t aware of the importance of doing good for others, until recently that I witnessed it with my own eyes. It all started when was at Chicago, a random man helped out a homeless man and bought him some food. I noticed as I was in line that the cashier then gave the helping man a free choice to pick something he wanted due to the action he did. After that day I began to make an attempt at helping out more and being a better person in general.

Another example of how altruism can be viewed in today’s society can be seen in the works of Mother Teresa and her plethora of altruistic acts throughout the globe. Although her focus was in India where she persued her novitiate (training), her organization has opened over 500 centers around the world helping the dying and the destitute (Moore 2002, pg. x). She took in the “untouchables” of society and gave them care and made sure that they were comfortable. Mother Teresa is often used as the benchmark when determining whether a selfless act is truly altruistic.

The next virtue, generosity is as important to the happiness and well being of a man’s mind as a hearty meal and exercise are to a man’s body. Without selflessness comes a loss of community and consequently, with a loss of community comes a decline in quality of life. With generosity, however, comes selflessness. The fulfillment that is gained from helping another human being is one of the purest forms of happiness that can be achieved. It is a broad, communal happiness that enriches the hearts of all involved. To live the good life is to be morally upright and to be morally upright is to help those around you simply in debt to the fact they need help, even if it is at some cost to you. Putting generosity on the backburner shows a wanting of concern for the well-being of the community and therefore obstructs happiness and delayed one's chance to taste the “good life.” from a utilitarian perspective a dismissal of generosity when generosity is possible can be akin to murder. Peter Singer gives a bright example of this when he equates not donating to a child in need to taking a child’s life for the purpose of trafficking their organs (Source 2). While one has a more sinister, direct, and clear motive with the other being

Modern Culture instills a misguided perception of why charitable acts are performed. In Alfie Kohn’s article, “ The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing,” the author uses research evidence, from newspaper articles, to explain his thesis that rewards and praise promotes charitable acts. This article exposes the sad truth behind the natural tendency for human generosity.

Peter Singer’s The Most Good You Can Do is an insightful, informative, philosophical spin on the typical self help book. His ideas on effective altruism, doing the most good with what you have, is a fresh look at living a charitable life. The book provides an ample amount of examples of people and companies who strive to make as much impact in the world as possible, likely in an effort to make effective altruism appear to be a feasible way of living for the average person. However, as the book progressed, it seemed to lose focus, shifting between profiles of effective altruists, and Singer’s own point of view on the movement. Overall, the ideas presented were interesting and thought provoking, but the entire text could have been shortened dramatically and

Altruism consist of renouncing oneself for the sake of one’s neighbor (Rand 5). Altruism requires that an action only be for the good of others and not for oneself; the value of morals is only acknowledged when the beneficiary is anyone other than the benefactor. The value of the action is

  “From Bonifacius: Essays to Do Good ”, by Cotton Mather, demonstrates the belief that individuals who do good deeds will be honored. Mather was a puritan and used his writings to spread his beliefs, such as: “the kingdom of God in the world calls for innumerable services from us. To do such things is to do good” (Mather 198). Mather used his belief in God to attempt to persuade individuals that if they did good deeds, that were required by God, they would be doing good. He believed men doing good would feel a sense of accomplishment from serving their master. Similarly, he wrote: “To have done good, was accounted honorable” (Mather 199). On the same

Batson, C. D. (1991). The Altruism Question: Toward a Social-Psychological Answer. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Newspapers and blogs, especially online, often publish articles on “Random Acts of Kindness.” In these articles and posts, readers see photographs of firemen saving kittens, children helping the homeless, lost phones and wallets being returned, and of people helping other people. Many times, the author refers to the faith in humanity being restored and of the good morals some people hold. But what are morals? What is morality? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines morality as “beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior” (Merriam-Webster). However, what drives morality? Is it the inherent goodness in a person or is it an incentive? Based on the article “Markets and Morality”, published in the CATO Journal, there are two different types of morality. The first type, duty based morality, is “behaving the

Helping people is a noble thing to do especially when it comes to the application of natural justice, where human beings help those who are suffering. There is always a hidden intention in every action that is obscured by the notion of philanthropy. Returned favors expectation might not be the ultimate intention as to why people may perform an act (Michael, 1978). However, it will be illogical to say that these intentions were

There is just a sacrifice to pay....” said Robert Frost who is a famous American poet(A boys’ will, p. 45). As this “good” connotes the defectiveness of self-centeredness and the higher ability of empathy, virtues like benevolence, altruism, righteousness, propriety and wisdom. It can be clarified with an example of Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King who compromise their life, safety and comfort for acquiring equal justice and liberty for Indians and Americans. These types of “good” people have an unusual level of empathy and affection for others and they put others

Humans cannot help but ask themselves, are the acts of goodness which are seen around them by others really true acts of good will or being good? Good will can be defined as a “kindly feeling of approval and support, benevolent interest or concern,” (Webster’s) and good can be defined as “morally excellent, virtuous, righteous, pious, excellence or merit, kindness, and a favorable character or tendency.” (Dictionary.com) Good can also be defined by the culture we live in and by what is also socially good and or correct. Good can be defined as doing what is right,