What Is Altruism? Psychology Behind Altruistic Behavior
Helping others when it doesn't benefit you or causes a detriment to you in some way is defined as an act of altruism. Generosity, kindness, volunteering, compassion, and philanthropy can all be viewed as types of altruism. Although altruism often happens spontaneously, you may wish to embrace an altruistic mindset and seek out situations in which you can help others. Therapy can be another way to adjust your thought and behavior patterns to embody the spirit of altruism.
What is altruism psychology?
The definition of altruism involves behavior contributing to someone else's well-being without benefit to yourself. An altruistic act could involve going out of your way to help someone in need, even if it reduces your financial well-being.
Examples of altruism psychology in practice
There are several examples of altruism in psychology and daily life. Below are a few ways people might help others, often without thought of reward. Each can be viewed as a general example of altruistic behavior in altruism psychology:
General examples of psychological altruism and altruistic behavior:
Generosity and selflessness
Willingness to donate money, time, or possessions to others
Kindness
Showcasing benevolent, friendly, generous, courteous, gentle, or sympathetic actions
Volunteering
Offering services to others of your own free will without pay
Compassion and empathy
Increasing your awareness of the pain of others and offering to relieve it in any way possible
Philanthropy and helping others
Donating to a cause
Below are a few specific examples of altruism that may fit into those categories:
Buying a meal for a homeless person
Volunteering for a non-profit relief organization
Rescuing someone in an emergency
Donating to a charitable organization that helps people who are living with a disease
Stopping to help someone whose car has broken down on the highway
Babysitting for a parent because they need a break
Donating blood to save lives
Offering free room and board in your home to someone going through cancer treatment
Biological altruism vs. psychological altruism
Biological altruism refers to helping behavior that promotes the species' survival at a cost to the individual. Psychological altruism can include biological altruism and helping behaviors that benefit someone else but don't impact survival or well-being. An example of biological altruism is evolutionary psychology.
Evolutionary psychology and altruism
In evolutionary psychology or biological altruism, altruism is often considered a way of ensuring the species' survival. In this sense, practicing altruism can keep others safe and ensure the survival of future human beings.
Some examples of altruism that may fit the evolutionary perspective can include the following:
- Warning others of danger to defend them
- Jumping in front of a dangerous vehicle to save another person
- A person donating a kidney to another to keep them alive
- Individuals working together to reduce the impact of climate change on future generations
- Working in a non-profit that visits dangerous locations around the world to save people from disease or poverty
Within the evolutionary perspective, studies have found that people are more likely to ensure another person's survival if the person is closely related to them.
What is reciprocal altruism or helping in psychology?
Reciprocal altruism can also be related to evolutionary altruism. It occurs when you complete a favor for another person because it might increase the likelihood that you could benefit from it in the future. Reciprocal altruism may come at a cost to the person offering the favor. The motivations in this type of altruism are not to receive a favor but to ensure one's survival and well-being in the future.
Reciprocal altruism psychology and game theory
Game theory is often used to describe reciprocal altruism. Game theory is a branch of math that focuses on analyzing strategies for managing competitive situations. The Prisoner's Dilemma is one example of a "game" that can result in reciprocal altruism.
In the Prisoner's Dilemma, two players each have two options. Each option's outcome can depend on the choice made by the other player. The classic example of the Prisoner's Dilemma involves two criminals trying to decide who should confess to a crime. When both people act selfishly, they may both stay in prison. When they work together, the outcome might be better for both.
Altruistic acts & social norms
Sometimes, people may act altruistically because they feel compassion and empathy for another, a behavior that can be explained by the empathy altruism hypothesis. However, others might engage in altruistic behavior to comply with social norms. For example, perhaps you see someone fall in front of you and don't want to help them get up. In this case, you might reach down and give them a hand because you think it is the "right thing to do" socially, which is often examined in social psychology.
What can I do to choose altruistic behavior?
Altruism often happens spontaneously. You may decide at the moment whether to help or not. However, you can prepare for altruistic behavior in two ways. First, you can develop a mindset surrounding the value of helping others. Secondly, you can seek altruistic paths like volunteering, where you may be exposed to more situations to help others. You may be able to increase altruistic tendencies by engaging in prosocial behaviors, where you act in ways that benefit others, such as helping, sharing, volunteering, or donating. Also, random acts of kindness can boost overall happiness and well-being, which in turn may lead to more altruistic behaviors.
Altruism psychology research: Generosity and acts of kindness
Research has revealed several facts about altruistic behavior. In one study, people helped others more often if their contributions were public. People who performed altruistic acts often gained higher status and were typically preferred for cooperative behavior projects. In addition, the researchers concluded that the higher the personal cost of altruism, the more status it could bring to the participants. Women, older people, recent immigrants, and the working class were more generous than others in the study.
What is true psychological altruism?
Some people believe that true altruism isn't possible. Whether helping benefits you directly or indirectly, your motives in every situation may not be completely unselfish. Your actions may not be motivated solely by unselfish reasons in every situation. However, on a personal basis, you can choose to help someone, whether it causes a negative or neutral impact on your life. When you make this choice, these good intentions may be more impactful than selfish ones.
Everyone in a society may be affected by others in that society. Whether pure altruism exists may not matter. What may matter is that people can and do help each other in circumstances where they have the option of not doing so.
Develop altruistic & prosocial behavior in counseling
Working with a licensed mental health professional may help you become more altruistic. However, visiting a therapist's office in person may not always be the most convenient option, and if you have a busy schedule, you may find it challenging to book a session at a time that works for you. In this case, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be a beneficial alternative. With online therapy, you can connect with a licensed therapist from your home at a time that matches your availability. You can foster effective altruism with a therapist, to improve your mental and physical health, while benefitting the wider community.
Becoming more altruistic may also involve adjusting thought and behavior patterns, which can often be addressed through modalities like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). According to one study, online CBT can be as effective as traditional face-to-face CBT. In addition to teaching altruism, CBT can also address symptoms of common mental health symptoms.
Takeaway
What is altruism psychology?
Altruism psychology examines why people behave altruistically, often motivated by selflessness to improve others' welfare. Altruism can be beneficial, though some argue that it’s impossible to be truly altruistic without some underlying personal benefit.
For example, it can be difficult to determine whether actions are genuinely altruistic or are influenced by egoistic motivation. In some cases, altruistic punishment may occur, where individuals punish selfish behavior at a personal cost to uphold fairness and social norms.
What is an example of altruistic acts or behavior?
Altruism reflects a concern for others without the expectation of indirect reciprocity, mutual benefits, or external rewards. Some examples of altruistic acts include caring for a friend with a chronic health condition, donating blood, starting a non-profit for a cause you feel passionately about, making charitable donations to homeless shelters, picking up trash along the beach, volunteering at a food bank, delivering meals to elderly family members, or paying for the person behind you in the drive-thru line.
How do acts of kindness influence prosocial behavior?
Prosocial behavior refers to voluntary actions intended to benefit another person or group. Research suggests that non-human animals also exhibit this behavior.
Kindness contributes to prosocial behavior in many ways. Acts of kindness can elicit positive emotions, which can enhance social connections, reinforce altruistic behaviors, and motivate people to essentially pass kindness on to others.
Engaging in acts of kindness can create a sense of belonging and community, building connections with others as well as boosting self-esteem and self-worth. Practicing kindness can also inspire empathic concern, making it easier to understand and respond to the needs of others and promoting prosocial behavior.
What is the opposite of altruism in psychology?
The opposite of altruism is egoism. Altruistic behavior is performed for the benefit of another, while egoistic behavior is performed for the benefit of the self.
What is the problem of altruism?
The problem of altruism is that since altruistic behaviors benefit others and not the self, they seemingly go against natural selection. In evolutionary theory, natural selection is inherited changes that increase an organism’s chances of survival. The question is, why would apparently altruistic behavior be passed onto future generations if it does not benefit the self and may even have negative outcomes or cause physical pain?
One theory that attempts to explain such behaviors is kin selection, which is when natural selection favors a trait that benefits relatives rather than the individual. Evolutionary scientists have identified several examples of kin selection in animal behavior. An interesting example is worker bees that will attack intruders, committing a suicidal act by stinging the intruder to defend the colony. Some squirrels will stand on their hind legs and sound an alarm when a predator is nearby to warn their family members while also attracting the attention of the predator.
In nature, altruism can even contribute to reproductive success of the species. For example, in some aphids, only elder and juveniles engage in self-sacrificing behavior. Some researchers believe this is because they have lower reproductive value than the species.
Is altruism good or bad according to psychologists?
Psychologists generally consider human altruism good, which can have many beneficial effects on human behavior. For example, altruistic giving can help people who need support.
That said, there is some debate about altruism. For example, some feel that altruism can violate moral principles. Excessive altruism and selfless acts can lead to people neglecting their own needs or experiencing personal distress or negative emotions. There are also cases of costly altruism, where someone puts their own safety or security at risk to help others.
Does true altruism really exist?
Some believe that true altruism isn’t possible as altruistic helping benefits the helper either directly or indirectly. It may be part of human nature for people to have their own self-interest in mind. Someone may have a “selfish gene” that influences them to think about their own best interest or personal gain in everyday life. Altruistic acts may be a way for them to gain higher life satisfaction.
It is possible that altruistic actions are not solely motivated by one’s desire to help. That said, prosocial behaviors can have positive outcomes in own lives. While individual differences in how and why people choose altruism exist, generally, it is positively related to better relationships and increased satisfaction, which may be motivation enough for some people.
How do you tell if someone is altruistic?
Altruistic people may demonstrate prosocial behaviors and have a natural tendency to help people. They may promote altruism and actively seek out ways to help without seeking reward, validation, or publicity.
Are altruistic people rare?
Some psychological research has found that altruistic behaviors are common in humans, but someone who is prone to acting unselfishly and has a legitimate altruistic concern for others without expecting recognition all of the time is likely rare.
Is altruism genetic or learned?
Research has found that altruism may be both genetic and learned. There appears to be a genetic link to altruistic behaviors, but environmental and other social factors can also play a role. Altruistic behaviors may be positively correlated with increased happiness and well-being, which can motivate people to engage in them.
- Previous Article
- Next Article