Human beings
are social by nature. What this means is that starting with our early
ancestors, we have been forming groups that resulted in civilizations and
societies all over the world. In order to form a society, individual members of
a group cannot be selfish. At times, they must do things in order to benefit
and improve the collective, regardless of the personal cost. This is known as
altruism, and although it may lead to an individual being taken advantage of by
selfish individuals, it has allowed our species to flourish and thrive. Despite
no longer needing altruism for survival purposes, practicing it still has many
benefits to both individual and community.
اضافة اعلان
What is
altruism?
Altruism has
many definitions, depending on the context. Generally speaking, altruism is the
act of helping another despite the risk it may pose to an individual’s self.
The motivation for this action comes from a place of wanting to help and not
from a sense of obligation of duty, religion, or loyalty. Such actions and
behavior happen without an expectation of reward.
Types of
altruism
In this
definition of altruism lies a paradox. It could be argued that no one can act
altruistically since there is some “selfish” reason for acting a certain way,
either for personal satisfaction or because one would feel bad if not acting
that way. As a result, many
psychologists have collectively identified
different types of altruistic behavior.
Genetic
altruism
Genetic
altruism refers to altruistic behavior done specifically for family members.
The common example of this is the behavior a parent engages in with their
child. Parents will sacrifice countless things from their life in order to
properly provide for their child. This type of altruism does not have to apply
strictly to the immediate family, it can also apply distant relatives.
Reciprocal
altruism
Reciprocal
altruism is likely one of the most practiced. It is a give-and-take
relationship developed by individuals. In essence, it is helping someone so
that one day they may return the favor. Although one gets something in return,
it is still considered altruism because an individual should not be expecting
anything in return, but instead encouraging the other individual to act more
altruistically in the future.
Group-selected
altruism
Group-selected
altruism is similar to genetic altruism. In this case, it is based on group
affiliation, which could be based on friendship, religion, culture, etc. This
is considered to one of the original types of altruism, along with genetic
altruism, since it is applicable to smaller communities or tribes.
Parents will sacrifice countless things from their life in order to properly provide for their child.
Pure
altruism
Pure
altruism is also known as moral altruism. It is the closest form of true
altruism that humans can obtain. It is based on morals and values that enable
an individual to help a perfect stranger regardless of risk, group affiliation,
or reward. Examples of this type are usually highlighted on the news, like when
someone saves a stranger heroically.
Why do we
act altruistically?
Psychologists
have many theories about why we act altruistically. A prominent theory is that
of natural selection specifically relating to genetic altruism. Genetics play a
role in behavior and emotions such as empathy, kindness, cooperativeness, and
altruism. Those that have those traits take better care of their
children and
are more likely to have their offspring reproduce. Furthermore, altruism is
considered a prosocial behavior, which means that it helps benefit the
collective. This would allow for individuals to better fit in the society and
improve their odds of survival.
Benefits
of altruism
Although acting
in an altruistic manner can come at the cost of the individual, there are many
benefits to acting unselfishly. Altruism does not have to be grand acts that
put one’s life at risk. They can be simple acts, like giving money to someone
in need or helping someone carry things.
The
greatest benefit of altruism is the effect it has on one’s wellbeing. A 2004
study conducted on individuals suffering from
multiple sclerosis (MS) found
that those who helped support others with MS experienced greater benefits than
those they were helping, in terms of confidence, self-awareness, depression,
self-esteem, and daily functioning.
All these
traits can help to positively improve the emotional wellbeing. Similarly,
altruistic behavior also helps improve the social wellbeing. By being
altruistic to others, you help foster the concept of community and further
build a social support group and sense of belonging.
Lastly,
altruism can act as a form of stress relief. Many studies have shown that
altruism is often associated with positive feelings that can improve one’s mood
and reduce stress.
Concerns
relating to altruism
Altruism
comes with many benefits, but there are also potential harmful consequences
involved. By its very nature, altruism comes with a risk to the individual.
This can be at a health, social, psychological, or financial cost. Furthermore,
although the intentions may be good, the outcome has the potential to be bad
for the other person. Similarly, it could cause focus to be shifted on one
cause while neglecting others. As a result, it is important to consider all
outcomes of your actions and help find a balance. Although these actions are
often spontaneous, taking a couple of seconds to reflect on the outcomes to
yourself and the other person involved can help minimize these risks.
It is quite simple to be altruistic. It begins with small actions. First, start helping those closest to you and see where it takes you.
How to
become more altruistic
It is quite
simple to be altruistic. It begins with small actions. First, start helping
those closest to you and see where it takes you. Even helping family and
friends has benefits. From there, you can expand to helping those in your
community. These small actions do not even have to be directly done to an
individual. It can be as simple as picking up trash in your area. This one
action helps decrease the workload for those who clean the streets, keeps your
community clean, and can improve your wellbeing.
For those
who might find it harder to find a place to begin, there are additional tips
that might help. You can start by finding inspiration in a person or a cause.
Seeing others participate in altruistic acts helps motivate you to join their
cause. From there, it can then work to applying it to your daily life.
In
addition to inspiration, empathy can be a powerful tool to help you get
started. By practicing empathy, you can build connections with others and see
struggles firsthand. Once you have placed yourself in other people’s shoes, you
may be better able to come up with problem-solve solutions and provide help to
others. It may be a conscious action at first, but with time and practice you will
begin to apply it subconsciously.
Lastly,
setting a goal can help you become conscious of your actions and decisions. It
may help you find ways to randomly perform acts of kindness toward others. No
matter how seemingly insignificant your act of kindness might be, it could have
a serious positive impact on the recipient.
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