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.
Altruist - who is it?
When an individual thinks only about himself and his needs, without paying attention or deliberately not noticing the needs and needs of his environment, he is called an egoist. This philosophy is very common in the modern information consumer society, but there are also completely different people. In the world of their values, the interests of other people are higher than their own. Such individuals are called altruists.
These are people who voluntarily, guided by personal motives, act for the benefit of other people, often even to the detriment of themselves. They sometimes say about such people “he will give away his last shirt.” The main personal qualities of an altruist include:
- sincere kindness;
- mercy;
- readiness for self-sacrifice;
- openness;
- humanism;
- courage.
Altruist
Examples of altruism
The origins of altruism were first described by the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. He identified the altruistic character with the concept of morality and believed that such a trait compensates for the natural egoism inherent in everyone to varying degrees. Much later, the concept was described in detail by the German sociologist Auguste Comte. He believed that there is animal or instinctive altruism and human, arising under pressure from society. I. Kant, A. Smith, D. Hume and others began to develop Comte’s theory in their teachings.
The character traits of an altruist exist in many people, it’s just that in some they are much more pronounced than in others. There are many striking examples in history illustrating who an altruist is:
- When altruism is mentioned, people often think of the Catholic nun who is known throughout the world as Mother Teresa. She dedicated her life to serving the poor and sick people.
- One can recall the feat of A. Matrosov, who closed the embrasure of an enemy bunker with his chest, saving his comrades.
- After World War II, German industrialist Oskar Schindler also became famous for saving more than 1,000 Jews working at his factory. Later, a book was written about him and a film was made called “Schindler’s List.”
Let's sum it up
Although man is a rational being, capable of great discoveries, scientific and technical achievements, he will never be able to know himself, his psychology, ideology of thinking, worldview. Perhaps this is why scientists have not agreed on the reasons for the manifestation of altruistic motives in people.
Altruism and egoism cannot be compared. There is no point in instilling in the younger generation the moral attitude of “acting for the benefit of others in any situation.” A person is not a robot that can be reconfigured to suit his needs. He, like any other representative of the living world, obeys all the laws of nature. Yes, altruism helps preserve the race, unites society, and provides positive moral principles. But let’s not forget that the main tool for survival in the harsh dictatorship of nature is selfishness.
Pros and cons of altruism
True self-sacrifice has both its advantages and disadvantages. The positive features of sacrifice include:
- Improving the world and society, changing people's consciousness.
- True altruists experience happiness and satisfaction from helping other people.
- In this way, people often try to atone for shameful acts committed in the past.
- Humane people often have high status in society and are valued and respected.
Unfortunately, an altruist, whose meaning is serving others, may experience a number of negative consequences of his activities:
- Ignoring your needs, desires and needs in favor of other people can lead to a threat to moral and physical health or even death.
- Mercantile and selfish people can use such a person for their own selfish interests.
Pros and cons of altruism
Theories of altruism
Various scientists developed their own concepts, in which the altruistic approach was viewed from different points of view. Currently, there are three most popular theories of altruism:
- Evolutionary . Adherents of this concept are confident that altruistic traits are built into the genetic code of any individual as a representative of the human race. Nature needed this in order to preserve this species, ensure its survival and development.
- The second theory is called “social exchange” . According to its postulates, the term of who an altruist is is considered from the point of view of the highest manifestation of egoism. Scientists read that altruistic activities bring personal benefits to a person in the form of self-satisfaction, exaltation of oneself in one's own eyes, and gaining approval from other members of society.
- Social norms theory suggests that altruists act in one way or another because of generally accepted norms. They can be moral, religious, rules of conduct and good manners, and others. That is, such people try to return kindness for kindness or take care of the weak thanks to accepted norms of social responsibility.
How to develop this quality in yourself
If you want to become an altruist, act like an altruist
:
- Help others more often, seeing that you can do it
. Start with small things. We can talk not only about individuals in your close circle, but also about strangers. A true altruist does not separate people who can be helped on the basis of family ties or personal sympathy. - Don't expect gratitude or favors in return
. Philosophers say that a true altruist feels joy and satisfaction in providing useful services to others. He does not expect praise, personal gain, or commensurate feedback. - Be humane and merciful, do not make harsh conclusions about others, look for dignity in them
. An altruist does not have to be a deeply religious person, but he loves people and values life. Mercy can well be called one of the most important facets of altruism. - Generosity is an important quality of an altruist; he cannot be greedy
. Have you noticed your tightness? Try to get rid of it. This includes not only material resources, but also personal time and participation in other people’s lives. Give people your attention. - Pass on your knowledge, because this is one of the most important manifestations of altruism
. Information is very important to the world, and people who pass on their experience to those who need it bring significant help to the world. Of course, we are talking about good and useful skills. Note that successful altruistic people often engage not only in charity work, but also try to become mentors to those suffering, sharing important information with them. This category of altruists includes those who share useful knowledge on the Internet. - Try to achieve harmony with others
. Altruistic-minded individuals do not create trouble for friends and relatives, do not hold grudges against opponents, and are not the instigators of conflict situations. - Don't do good for show
. Altruists are usually quite modest and do not widely publicize their good deeds. True sacrifice has no common facets with boasting.
We all from time to time feel spiritual impulses to help someone for free, but it rarely comes to this - do not stifle these spontaneous desires within yourself!
Types of altruism
In different paradigms and branches of science, the concept of altruism is interpreted differently. The definition is somewhat different in philosophy, psychology and sociology without changing the general essence. What differentiates different types of altruism:
- moral;
- parental;
- National;
- sympathetic or empathic;
- mutual;
- demonstrative;
- social
Moral altruism
One of the true types of what an altruist is can be considered a person guided by his moral or moral principles. That is, such an individual acts in the interests of others, and sometimes to the detriment of himself, because of his internal beliefs and attitudes. A moral altruist helps familiar and unfamiliar people because he experiences moral satisfaction from this. Many people say that a person has found his calling or acts “at the behest of his heart.”
Such altruistic behavior was characteristic of the famous Mother Teresa and many other both secular and religious public figures. Examples of moral altruism include:
- volunteering;
- donation;
- mentoring;
- self-sacrifice;
- charity and so on.
Rational altruism
A person can perform altruistic acts not only out of internal need and worldview, but also guided by common sense. That is, a rational altruist acts on the basis that it will be better in the global sense. That is, a firefighter gives his life during a terrible fire to save hundreds of people from the fire. The rational theory is supported by biologist researchers who have identified elements of such behavior in animals. Many of them did things for the good of the pack, even at the cost of their own lives.
Parental altruism
In everyday life, illustrating who an altruist is, one can easily cite almost any parent as an example. Moms and dads, raising their children, sacrifice a lot for the sake of their offspring. This can manifest itself either in a mother’s refusal to go to a cosmetologist for the sake of another treat for the baby, or in heroic actions to save the lives of her children at the cost of her own. There is even a separate theory of parental altruism, the basis of which is considered to be a biological program for the survival of the species.
Compassionate altruism
In psychology, a widely accepted theory describes the sympathetic motives of altruism, that is, empathy for the emotions of another person. Sensitive people acutely sense the emotions of another person, which is why they try to selflessly help him. This behavior is more often characteristic of women and people with a developed imagination. Such individuals can vividly imagine what they would feel or do in a similar situation. Compassionate altruism always involves targeted and specific help.
Reciprocal altruism
Reciprocal altruism is considered a special type of rational altruism. With this approach, a person performs good deeds only when he is confident that the other party is capable or can do the same for him. This principle of altruism can often be observed in everyday life in the relationships of friends and lovers, relatives and loved ones by other criteria. When a person commits a mutual altruistic act, he does not always realize that he expects something in return. Rather, people say that “they are ready to give everything for the sake of the happiness of their loved one.”
Demonstrative altruism
The so-called demonstrative sacrifice is also often encountered. It was already mentioned above that altruism helps to occupy a special position in society, to earn honor and respect. In this case, the altruistic mode cannot be considered as the true motives of human behavior. Rather, the individual may seek benefit for himself, which will consist of:
- Atonement for your own bad deeds of the past and clearing your own conscience. Thus, former leaders of criminal organizations can donate large sums of money to charity.
- Occupying a certain position in society. This may be a position or respect in a certain circle of people where self-sacrifice is held in high esteem.
- Approval from your inner world and parents. Such people do good deeds not at the behest of their hearts, but because of the “correct” upbringing. From childhood they were taught that this is necessary and important to do.
Social altruism
In the modern world, the so-called social altruistic attitude is actively spreading, which manifests itself only within one society or social group. This could be family, a close circle of acquaintances, or a work team. A person can experience certain positive feelings towards all these people, which is why he is ready to perform altruistic acts. This behavior allows you to maintain a friendly atmosphere and a pleasant microclimate in a particular company of people.
Empathic altruism
The concept of empathy is closer to people with a Western type of thinking. However, if sympathy and empathy can be considered as internal altruistic motives, then empathy is considered the highest form of manifestation of egoism. A person feels the emotions of another in a difficult situation and puts himself in his place. He understands that he, too, would be hurt or offended, so he tries to help or correct what happened, even at the cost of his own lost benefits and sacrifices. Subconsciously, such people would like the environment to treat them in the same way as they are doing now.
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).
