Altruism is not a very common phenomenon these days. Altruists delight some, surprise others, and cause suspicion among others. What character traits do these people have, is it easy to become an altruist, what theories of altruism exist, and is such a character trait really necessary? Let's look at all these questions in more detail in our article.
Who is an altruist?
An altruist is a person who is inclined to selflessly help other people and receives moral satisfaction from this. The words “altruism” and “altruist” are derived from the Greek word alter, which translates as “other.” They imply that a person is inclined to think about other people, put their interests above his own , and selflessly help them by spending his time and other resources. Often an altruist can make quite significant sacrifices to help others.
In psychology, altruism is defined as free service to others , motivated by personal loyalty, sympathy, charity, and other non-material motivations. The degree of self-sacrifice in altruism can vary. Some people simply spend a little time to help another person without much effort, while others are ready to sacrifice their own well-being for the benefit of others.
Altruism often manifests itself under the influence of various social emotions and experiences, such as sympathy, sympathy or benevolence. Moreover, the “border” of altruism can be at different distances. Some people prefer to help only relatives and friends (which also counts). And some people willingly help even complete strangers (such people are called philanthropists).
Altruism in psychology
The psychology of an altruist is such that his empathy is based on a subconscious and innate reluctance to observe the experiences of the people around him. According to theorists, altruism is the atonement of a person who constantly feels a sense of duty to others.
Degrees of altruism
An action performed by a person can be considered both selfishly and altruistically. Depending on the motives that guide a person and the consequences of committing an act, the degree of his altruism can be high or low.
Examples of “strong” altruism: an action is performed despite the feeling that it entails some harm to oneself - the work of military surgeons in combat conditions; sharp steering of the car by the driver in order to prevent hitting an animal running onto the road
Examples of "weak" altruism: primarily an action aimed at obtaining one's own benefit, and is partly motivated by the fact that it may benefit someone or cause no harm to anyone - public donations of large sums to charity; motorists allowing pedestrians to enter the crossing lane.
Types of altruism in psychology
To act altruistically means to sacrifice one's own good, guided by inexplicable motives and goals: conscience, morality, love, a sense of empathy.
Mutual
A synonym is “reciprocal” altruism. It works on the principle: “You are for me, and I am for you.” A person is ready to make high self-sacrifices for the sake of another, being confident in a reciprocal act. As a result of such an action, no one loses, and everyone benefits.
In biology, a synonym for mutual altruism is symbiosis, a mutually beneficial relationship between living beings: a mushroom and an algae (lichen); hermit crab and sea anemone.
Demonstrative
Manifestations of demonstrative altruism give off notes of selfishness. On the one hand, a person shows care, gives benefits to others, neglecting his own interests. On the other hand, he is guided by selfish goals - compliance with the rules of decency, the desire to show that he, a full member of society, deserves all the benefits and praise.
Compensatory
An individual constantly experiencing remorse, wanting to calm down the “cats in his soul,” compensates for the feeling of guilt with good deeds. To some extent, it can also be attributed to the manifestation of an egoistic form, since the reason for “altruistic” behavior is the satisfaction of one’s own needs, receiving benefits in the form of eliminating an unpleasant feeling.
Moral
True, “high” altruism. It consists of programming moral attitudes and personality traits. He was born to work “free of charge” for the benefit of those around him. His moral principles are above all. Only after making sure that the sacrifice brought benefit to another person does the altruist receive his portion of pleasure.
Rational
The manifestation of altruism is possible after preliminary analysis. The individual calculates the consequences of his actions in advance. If the disadvantages prevail over the advantages, the altruistic act will not be performed.
Parental
The meaning of altruism is to give parents freedom and rights to their children. They see in their offspring a continuation of themselves and develop in them those abilities and qualities that they themselves were unable to acquire. Achieving goals by children is possible by abandoning parental ambitions and preferences.
Situational
The manifestation is facilitated by various situational influences - the number of eyewitnesses, the availability of free time, multiple ignorance, subjective assessment of the situation.
The greater the amount and degree of surprise of the spectators of the situation, the free time an individual has, the higher the likelihood of an altruist making a donation.
Social
It appears only in relation to society. In simple words, a person provides “help to the detriment of himself” only to those around him - relatives, close friends.
Sympathetic
Empathy for a comrade in need forces the altruist to take desperate steps. Empathy, the ability to enter into someone else’s situation, help in making decisions - all this brings positive results.
Normative
A striking example of a normative altruist is Robin Hood. His moral principles are based on honor and a sense of justice. He does not allow sharp contrasts between the conditions of people. Taking from the rich and giving to the poor, Robin Hood sacrifices his time, health and receives moral satisfaction.
Morality or altruism?
A person performs a good deed from both moral and altruistic motives.
Example of moral: a friend gives you a ball for a week with an obligation to return it on time. There is nothing stopping you from returning the item to him, say, in a month, but you will still give the ball back after 7 days. The motive for your behavior is a promise determined by moral principles.
An example of altruism: a friend gives you his ball for your birthday. Seeing your reaction to the gift, your friend enjoys the perfect act.
Egoism and altruism: main differences
- An egoist acts out of personal motives in order to obtain his own benefit. Altruist - moral satisfaction from receiving benefits for others, which would be impossible without donation.
- The actions of the egoist are to the detriment of others, the actions of the altruist are to the detriment of themselves and for the benefit of others.
- Selfishness is an unconscious mindset developed by natural selection. Altruism is a conscious, developed by man.
- Egoism is the desire to receive for the sake of pleasure. Altruism - the desire to give for the sake of pleasure
How did the term come about?
The moral principle, which implies meaningful help to others to the detriment of oneself, was described in ancient philosophy. But the French philosopher Auguste Comte finally formulated it and coined the term for it at the beginning of the 19th century. He understood altruism as a person’s desire to live for the sake of others. He also highlighted instinctive altruism, dictated by nature, and social altruism, which is formed in a person in the process of upbringing.
It is interesting that Comte contrasted altruism and the Christian principle of self-sacrifice, since the latter is based on the desire of a believer for his own salvation, therefore, motivated by selfishness.
One of the ancient thinkers who promoted similar ideas was Socrates. He believed that the ability to “give and not take” is one of the most important indicators of a person’s morality, demonstrating strength of spirit.
Examples of altruistic activities
The properties of altruistic actions may differ between genders. As a rule, in women they are longer in nature. For example, they often give up their career for the benefit of their family. Men, on the contrary, are characterized by momentary heroic impulses: to pull a person out of a fire, to throw themselves into an embrasure. As Alexander Matrosov and many other unknown heroes did during the Great Patriotic War.
The desire to help others is inherent in all living beings. This is true even for animals. For example, dolphins help their wounded brethren stay afloat; they can swim for long hours under a sick person, pushing him to the surface so that he can breathe. Cats, dogs, foxes, and walruses nurse orphaned cubs as if they were their own.
Altruism also includes volunteering, donating, mentoring (only on condition that the teacher does not charge a fixed fee for this).
Pros of an altruist
Psychologists believe that this character trait is usually useful for its owner, despite the fact that it forces one to spend time and other resources on helping others. Sincere altruists receive benefits such as:
- clear conscience;
- untarnished reputation;
- the joy of helping others;
- a large number of friends and grateful people;
- absence of enemies and ill-wishers;
- the ability to always count on the help of others;
- high level of trust;
- awareness of one's own usefulness to the world.
Of course, a true altruist never seeks to receive the listed “bonuses.” Most don't even notice them. Nevertheless, these are serious advantages, thanks to which both the personal life and career of altruists usually develop well.
Disadvantages of an altruist
In addition to the above advantages, there are also certain disadvantages in the life of an altruist:
- excessive sacrifice of one’s own interests (sometimes the altruist’s family may indirectly suffer because of this);
- the tendency to focus on one object for help and not notice that some people may need help more;
- the risk of developing increased heart rate (read about what heart rate is in this article) due to awareness of one’s own value to others;
- some people may begin to exploit the kindness and selflessness of an altruist, literally “sitting on his head”;
- worries about the inability to help a person in need (stress can be so strong that it can lead to a nervous breakdown or other mental disorder).
Taking into account the described advantages and disadvantages, the optimal option is rational altruism, which pushes a person to disinterested but thoughtful help to others. At the same time, there is no need to waste emotional energy in cases where it is not possible to help for some reason. In addition, it is important to monitor cases when someone “sits on their head”, using kindness for selfish purposes.
Is altruism good or bad?
This question remains unresolved to this day. On the one hand, selfishness is a tool for survival under conditions of natural selection, and altruism is a risk for the death of the individual. On the other hand, the sacrifice of one altruist contributes to the preservation of many egoists.
Pros and cons of altruism
Evolution modifies the original properties for the better. This means that altruism can be considered renewed egoism. The benefits of altruists include:
- A clear life position and established goals
- Increased self-esteem and privacy with harmony of others
- Promoting the development of a civilized society with good priorities
- Instilling positive human qualities in others.
Since nature has established that selfishness is the driving force of selection, altruism in practice can have a number of disadvantages:
- Devaluation of one's own interests
- Excessive donations threaten individual well-being
- Abuse of excessive helpfulness by egoists. In simple words, “they will sit on the neck”
Why do people become altruists?
There are several theories that explain how such a trait as altruism was formed in the human psyche. The most popular are three of them:
- Evolutionary
. According to this theory, altruism is a genetically determined tendency formed under the influence of evolution. Many thousands of years ago, it helped to survive precisely those tribes in which our ancestors took care of each other and the general well-being. - Social exchange
. This theory implies that altruism is a special form of egoism. By helping others, a person receives satisfaction, and this is what explains his selflessness. - Social Norms Theory
. According to this theory, altruism is formed in a person in the process of education. The reasons for altruism can be different: religious, ethical, ethical and others.
How to become an altruist?
- Whenever possible, help others
. It is better to start with small and uncomplicated tasks, so as not to be disappointed in your abilities ahead of time. At the same time, it is important to help not only loved ones, but also complete strangers. - Having done a good deed, immediately forget about it
. Don't expect gratitude, praise, or kindness in return. If you correctly understand who an altruist is, then you know that he experiences joy simply from simply helping someone. - Stop judging people
. True altruism involves mercy. Just remind yourself that people, when they do anything, are always guided by some motives or make mistakes. Both are normal. - Be generous
. Sometimes people are willing to help others, but can also be tight-fisted. Get rid of this trait and never overestimate material resources. - Share your knowledge
. Knowledge is something that each of us can share for our own benefit. This brings not only satisfaction, but also a better understanding of the material being told. - Live in harmony with others
. An altruist not only helps others, but also makes sure not to create inconvenience for them and not become an instigator of conflicts. - Avoid demonstrative acts of kindness
. A true altruist must be humble. He never strives to have his good deed noticed. Try to do something good for a person without him ever knowing about it. Difficult? But this is one of the best exercises for developing altruism (and for self-development in general).
