Altruism - what is it? Famous people are altruistic examples.

Auguste Comte, the French philosopher who formed this definition, considered the phrase “live for others” to be the main motto of an altruist.

The Problem of Altruism

You can often hear a contrast between altruism as the highest degree of renunciation of one's own interests, and egoism as the highest degree of concentration on oneself. However, in fact, I often confuse these two concepts, replacing one with the other, because an altruist believes that he performs actions based only on the desire to help others, but in fact he may pursue personal gain, which in itself contradicts the concept of altruism.

Egoism and altruism in psychology are often complemented by another concept - egotism. Healthy egotism is the satisfaction of one’s own interests without the detriment of other people, which is considered the most logical, correct and healthy position, while selfishness is criticized for ignoring social norms in favor of one’s own interests.

However, there are also quite a lot of problems with altruism, because people with unsatisfied moral needs become altruists. There may be many of them, but one of the most important is the need to be needed by someone, which is realized in this way.

On the other hand, altruism is helping others, based on the spiritual motives and interests of the individual, that is, a constructive practice that allows the individual to achieve satisfaction of his own needs through helping others.

Examples of altruism

You can look at this phenomenon from completely different points of view, and it is easier to do this by considering examples of altruism.

1. A woman takes care of her husband and children, helps neighbors, gives donations to the poor, but at the same time does not find time for herself, her interests, hobbies and appearance.
2. The wife of a drunken alcoholic, who tolerates her drunken husband, strives to help him with something, or, resigned, simply takes care of him, forgetting about herself.

In these two examples, altruistic behavior is associated with the realization of the need for need, which usually a person does not even admit to himself. However, there are other examples where, whatever one may say, there is no benefit for the person himself. For example, a soldier covering a mine with his body so that his comrades can pass. As a result, the hero dies, having accomplished a feat and helping his homeland win - and this is true altruism, in which there is not a fraction of his benefit.

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Altruism: definition of who altruists are, examples from life

Today we will talk about altruism. Where did this concept come from and what is hidden behind this word? Let us analyze the meaning of the expression “altruistic person” and give a description of his behavior from the point of view of psychology. And then we will find the differences between altruism and egoism using the example of noble deeds from life.

What is "Altruism"?

The term is based on the Latin word “alter” - “other”. In short, altruism is selfless help to others. A person who helps everyone without pursuing any benefit for himself is called an altruist.

As the Scottish philosopher and economist of the late 18th century, Adam Smith, said: “However selfish man may seem, there are clearly inherent in his nature certain laws that make him interested in the fate of others and consider their happiness necessary for himself, although he himself gains nothing from it. except for the pleasure of seeing this happiness.”

Definition of altruism

Altruism is a human activity aimed at caring for another person, his well-being and satisfying his interests.

An altruist is a person whose moral concepts and behavior are based on solidarity and concern, first of all, for other people, for their well-being, respecting their desires and helping them.

An individual can be called an altruist when, during his social interaction with others, there are no selfish thoughts about his own benefit.

There are 2 very important points: if a person is truly unselfish and claims the right to be called an altruist, then he must be altruistic to the end: help and take care not only of his loved ones, relatives and friends (which is his natural duty), but also provide assistance completely to strangers, regardless of their gender, race, age, or position.

The second important point: help without expecting gratitude and reciprocity. This is the fundamental difference between an altruist and an egoist: an altruistic person, when providing help, does not need and does not expect praise, gratitude, or reciprocal service in return, and does not even allow the thought that he is now owed something. He is disgusted by the very idea that with his help he has put a person in a dependent position on himself and can expect help or service in return, in accordance with the efforts and means spent! No, a true altruist helps unselfishly, this is his joy and main goal. He does not treat his actions as “investments” in the future, does not imply that it will be returned to him, he simply gives without expecting anything in return.

In this context, it is good to give the example of mothers and their children. Some mothers give the child everything he needs: education, additional developmental activities that reveal the child’s talents - exactly what he HIMSELF likes, and not his parents; toys, clothes, travel, trips to the zoo and attractions, indulgence in sweets on weekends and soft, unobtrusive control. At the same time, they don’t expect that the child, when he becomes an adult, will give them money for all this entertainment? Or that he is obliged to be attached to his mother for the rest of his life, not to have a personal life, just as she did not have, being busy with the baby; spend all your money and time on it? No, such mothers do not expect this - they simply GIVE it because they love and wish happiness for their baby, and never once later reproach their children for the money and effort spent.

There are other mothers. The range of entertainment is the same, but most often it is all imposed: additional activities, entertainment, clothes - not those that the child wants, but those that the parents choose for him and consider the best and necessary for him. No, maybe at a young age the child himself is not able to adequately choose his own clothes and diet (remember how children adore chips, popcorn, sweets in huge quantities and are ready to eat Coca-Cola and ice cream for weeks), but the point is different: parents treat their child as a profitable “investment”.

When he grows up, the following phrases are addressed to him:

• “I didn’t raise you for this!”
• “You must look after me!”
• “You disappointed me, I invested so much in you, and you!...”,
• “I spent my youth on you, and how do you pay me for my care?”

What do we see here? The key words are “pay for care” and “invested”.

Did you catch the rub? There is no concept of “pride” in altruism. An altruist, as we have already said, NEVER expects payment for his concern for another person and his good, for his good deeds. He never treats this as an “investment” with subsequent interest, he simply helps, at the same time becoming better and improving himself.

Difference between altruism and egoism.

As we have already said, altruism is an activity aimed at caring for the well-being of others.

What is egoism? Selfishness is an activity aimed at caring for one’s own well-being. We see here a quite obvious general concept: in both cases there is Activity. But the result of this activity is the main difference between the concepts. Which we are considering.

What is the difference between altruism and egoism?

1. Motive of activity. An altruist does something to make others feel good, while an egoist does something to make himself feel good.
2. The need for “payment” for activities. An altruist does not expect rewards for his activities (monetary or verbal); his motives are much higher. An egoist, on the other hand, considers it quite natural for his good deeds to be noticed, “put on his account,” remembered, and returned favors for favors.
3. The need for fame, praise and recognition. An altruist does not need laurels, praise, attention and fame. Egoists love it when their actions are noticed, they are praised and cited as an example as “the most selfless people in the world.” The irony of the situation is, of course, glaring.
4. It is more profitable for an egoist to remain silent about his egoism, since this, by definition, is considered not the best quality. At the same time, there is nothing reprehensible in recognizing an altruist as an Altruist, since this is worthy and noble behavior; It is believed that if everyone were altruists, we would live in a better world.

As an example of this thesis, we can cite the lines from the song “If Everyone Cared” by Nickelback:

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

Then we’d see the day when nobody died

In a loose translation, it can be paraphrased as follows: “when everyone takes care of each other and will not be sad, when there is love in the world and there is no place for lies, when everyone is ashamed of their pride and learns to share with others - then we will see the day when people will be immortal »

By nature, an egoist is an anxious, petty person, chasing his own benefit and being in constant calculations - how to get a benefit here, where to distinguish himself so that he will be noticed. An altruist is calm, noble and self-confident.

Examples of altruistic actions.

The simplest and most striking example is a soldier who covered a mine with himself so that his comrades in arms would survive. There are many such examples during war periods, when, due to dangerous conditions and patriotism, almost everyone awakens a sense of mutual assistance, self-sacrifice and camaraderie. A suitable thesis here can be cited from the popular novel “The Three Musketeers” by A. Dumas: “One for all and all for one.”

Another example is sacrificing yourself, your time and energy to care for loved ones. The wife of an alcoholic or a disabled person who cannot take care of himself, the mother of an autistic child, forced to take him to speech therapists, psychologists, therapists all his life, to care for and pay for his studies in a boarding school.

In everyday life we ​​encounter such manifestations of altruism as:

• Mentoring. Only this works with complete disinterestedness: training less experienced employees, teaching difficult students (again, without charging a fee for this, just on a noble basis).
• Charity
• Donation
• Organization of subbotniks
• Organizing free concerts for orphans, the elderly and cancer patients.

What qualities does an altruistic person have?

• Unselfishness
• Kindness
• Generosity
• Mercy
• Love for people
• Respect for others
• Sacrifice
• Nobility

As we see, all these qualities have a direction not “towards oneself”, but “from oneself”, that is, to give, and not to take. These qualities are much easier to develop in yourself than it seems at first glance.

How can you develop altruism in yourself?

We can become more altruistic if we do two simple things:

1. Help others. And completely disinterestedly, without demanding a good attitude in return (which, by the way, usually appears precisely when you don’t expect it).
2. Engage in volunteer activities - look after others, look after them and take care of them. This could be assistance in homeless animal shelters, nursing homes and orphanages, assistance in hospices and all places where people cannot take care of themselves.

In this case, there should be only one motive - selfless help to others, without the desire for fame, money or increasing one’s status in the eyes of others.

Becoming altruists is easier than it seems. In my opinion, you just need to calm down. Stop chasing profit, fame and respect, calculate benefits, stop evaluating others’ opinions of yourself and stop wanting to be liked by everyone.

After all, true happiness lies precisely in selflessly helping others. As they say, “What is the meaning of life? “It’s about how many people you can help become better people.”

People are altruists, the meaning of the word and examples from life

Hello, dear friends and guests of my blog! Today I will touch on the topic of altruism, talk about the meaning of this word and give examples. An altruist is a person who acts selflessly, without expecting anything in return. It seems to me that this is very relevant now, and our society needs to awaken these wonderful qualities in itself. I hope my article will help you with this.

Meaning of the word altruist

The meaning of the word altruist is completely opposite to the word egoist. That is, this is a person who cares about others, does things and actions that benefit society, even to the detriment of himself. This concept was introduced by the French sociologist Auguste Comte. In his opinion, the main principle of altruism is to live for others. Of course, I don’t really like the word damage, since unselfishness still means acting not from inferiority, but most likely from abundance. This abundance does not necessarily manifest itself in some kind of material wealth of a person, but rather it is an abundance of the soul and heart. In the article on compassion, I already touched on this topic a little.

The characteristic qualities of an altruistic personality are kindness, responsiveness, empathy, activity, compassion. For people prone to altruism, the heart chakra works well. Externally, they can be recognized by their eyes, which emit a warm radiance. As a rule, altruistic individuals are optimists. Instead of wasting time being depressed and complaining about the world, they simply make it a better place.

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).

Famous people are altruists

Some altruistic acts are so strong in their depth that they go down in history for a long time. Thus, during World War II, the German industrialist Oskar Schindler became famous throughout the world for saving about 1,000 Jews who worked at his factory from death. Schindler was not a righteous man, but to save his workers, he made many sacrifices: he spent a lot of money on paying off officials, and risked going to prison. A book was written in his honor and the film “Schindrer’s List” was made. Of course, he could not know that this would glorify him, so this act can be considered truly altruistic.

One of the real altruists is the Russian doctor Fyodor Petrovich Gaaz. He dedicated his life to serving humanity, for which he became known as the “holy doctor.” Fyodor Petrovich helped poor people with medicines and softened the fate of prisoners and exiles. His favorite words, which can be made a motto for altruists, are: “Hurry to do good! Know how to forgive, desire reconciliation, overcome evil with good. Try to raise the fallen, soften the embittered, correct the morally damaged.”

Well-known altruists include any spiritual teachers and mentors (Christ, Buddha, Prabhupada, etc.) who help people become better people. They give their time, energy, and sometimes even their lives, without demanding anything in return.

The best reward for them may be that the students accepted knowledge and embarked on the path of spiritual development.

Hidden motives

As I already said, our souls have a natural desire to take care of the world around us and people, because we are all interconnected. But sometimes the mind takes precedence over the impulses of the heart. In such cases, selfishness and concern only for one’s own good awakens in a person.

Let me give you an example. A young girl takes care of a sick elderly man, only because after that he will sign his house over to her. Can this be called an altruistic act? Of course not, because the initial goal that this girl pursues is not helping a person, but immediate benefit after that.

Self-promotion

Increasingly, good deeds (selfless at first glance) are performed with the aim of increasing one’s reputation. World stars have all taken up charity and other philanthropic activities. This motif is called the “potlatch effect”, in honor of the Indian ceremony of demonstrative exchange of gifts. When sharp conflicts arose between the tribes, a struggle for authority began, but this was an unusual battle. Each tribal leader held a feast to which he invited his enemies. He generously treated them and presented them with expensive gifts. In this way they showed their power and wealth.

Personal sympathy

The most common motive for altruistic actions is sympathy. People are more pleased to help those they like, their friends and loved ones. In some ways, this motive intersects with self-promotion, because one of its goals is to arouse the respect of people dear to us. But there is still a significant difference, because here there is love for one’s neighbors.

Ennui

Some people devote their entire lives to altruistic acts and service to society, without experiencing inner satisfaction and harmony. The reason for this is inner emptiness, so a person throws all his strength into saving the souls of others, so as not to hear the cry for help from his own.

True selflessness

Let's consider this situation. A man on crutches walks next to you and drops his glasses. What will you do? I'm sure you'll pick them up and give them to him without the thought that he should do anything good for you in return. But imagine that he silently takes his glasses and, without saying a word of gratitude, turns around and leaves. How will you feel? That you were not appreciated and all people are ungrateful? If this is so, then there is no smell of true altruism. But if, no matter what, this act makes your soul warm, then this is sincere altruism, and not a manifestation of banal politeness.

A true altruist does not seek material gain (fame, honor, respect), his goal is much higher. By providing selfless help to others, our soul becomes purer and brighter, and accordingly the whole world becomes a little better, because everything in it is interconnected.

In order for selfish, selfish people not to “sit on the head” of an altruist, it is necessary to develop awareness in oneself. Then you will be able to distinguish between those who really need help from those who are just trying to take advantage of you.

Video

In conclusion, I want to tell you a story from the ancient Vedic scriptures that illustrates the manifestation of true altruism and selflessness. Watch the video.

Ruslan Tsvirkun wrote for you. I wish you to grow and develop spiritually. Help your friends with this and share useful information with them. If you have any clarifying questions, do not hesitate to ask, I will be happy to answer them.

Thanks for the interesting, detailed article. I was looking for material on this topic for an essay. There are really no examples on the Internet, everywhere only about Mother Teresa and about a wife who lives with an alcoholic, although this example can hardly be called altruism.

I'm glad that the article was useful.

This is who I turn out to be))))). And everyone says: you are either a fool or a saint :-/ Thanks for the article)

Ruslan, thank you for the article. The topic is really interesting.

Much has been written and said about altruism. In general terms, altruism is the desire and willingness to help someone in need without demanding anything in return.

Nowadays you can often hear the saying from people: “If you don’t do good, you won’t get evil.” I thought about it a lot, read and listened.

The first thing I came to is what you describe in the article. Goodness must be unselfish, sincere, coming from the heart. When performing actions, you should not become attached to their fruits.

And secondly, you need to follow the rule of true altruism (it turns out that altruism can also be false).

True altruism has three fundamental components.

1. Having a request for help.

It happens that it just seems to us that a person needs help, and by imposing our help, we interfere with him in the implementation of some of his plans.

2. Having a desire to help.

It happens that a person asked for help once, a second time, a third time, and he simply became insolent. We see that he is just being lazy. And we no longer have the desire to help him. In other words, we are not given energy from above, since our help will lead to degradation of the requester. This is such a disservice.

3. Availability of opportunities to provide assistance.

Here we mean to help out of abundance, and not to the detriment.

All these three points must be taken into account together, otherwise the proverb “Don’t do good, you won’t get evil” will still work.

And always, if you want to help others, you need to take into account the time, place, circumstances, showing common sense.

Thank you for your comment

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Basics of Altruism - Become a better person by caring for others

The origin of the word “altruism” is explained quite simply - it is based on the Latin term “alter” (“other”).

What it is

It was first used in the works of the French philosopher O. Kant as the opposite of egoism.

How to explain the meaning of the word altruism in the modern sense? First of all, it denotes a special system of values ​​of an individual, which manifests itself in the commission of actions aimed not at oneself, but at the interests of another person or an entire group of people.

That is, to put it simply, altruism is:

• concern for the welfare of other people;
• willingness to sacrifice one's own interests for the sake of others.

At the same time, a person does not feel at all inferior, he feels other people’s experiences and pain and strives to somehow alleviate them, despite the fact that this will not bring him any benefit at all.

What can this quality give to its owner? At least such advantages as:

• freedom to perform noble deeds and good deeds;
• confidence in yourself and your capabilities.

And altruists have no such thing as pride. He does not ask for any reward for his actions and simply helps people, while simultaneously improving himself and becoming better.

Examples of true altruism

To consider this phenomenon, it is worth paying attention to several of the most famous real-life examples.

One of them can be called the actions of a soldier covering a mine so that his comrades could stay alive. Such a feat is doubly justified from the point of view of an altruist who not only saved other people’s lives, but also helped his homeland move one step closer to victory over the enemy.

How to write a psychological portrait of a personality? Find out from the article.

We can mention as an example the devoted wife of a chronic alcoholic, who practically sacrifices herself in her courtship of her husband. It doesn’t matter how justified it is, and how exactly it should be done - it is still a manifestation of altruism.

A mother of several children may find herself in a similar situation, sacrificing her personal and almost any other life for the sake of raising her offspring.

Among the examples known to us from literary sources, the highest degree of altruism was shown by the fairy-tale character Danko, who illuminated the path for many people with his heart.

Manifestations in everyday life

In our everyday life, we can also encounter manifestations of this quality.

• charity, that is, selfless care for those who really need help;
• present. Although this is sometimes not a completely pure manifestation of altruism, most givers are also altruists to some extent;
• family relationships. Even if there are no alcoholics in your family, and there are also few children, a good family can only rest on the altruism of both parents towards each child and, possibly, towards each other (or at least one spouse towards the other);
• mentoring. In that case, of course, if it is disinterested. Teaching other, less experienced people (colleagues, comrades, co-workers) your knowledge out of love for your work is also a manifestation of altruism.

What personality traits are characteristic

With altruism, a person usually develops the following qualities:

It also increases your confidence and spiritual potential.

How to achieve

Achieving altruism is not at all as difficult a task as it might seem at first glance.

We can become more altruistic to some extent if we:

1. help your loved ones and family, without demanding anything in return (not even a good attitude - which, by the way, more often appears precisely when you are not chasing after it);
2. volunteer. That is, to help those in need of care and attention. This could include caring for the elderly, helping children in orphanages, and even caring for homeless animals.

All your good deeds should have only one motive - to help someone cope with their problems. And not at all a desire to earn money, whether we are talking about money, fame or some other reward.

Video: Cartoon example

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Altruism

The concept of altruism was introduced by the French philosopher and founder of sociology Auguste Comte. It characterizes a person’s selfless motives, which entail actions for the benefit of other people. According to Comte, the principle of altruism states: “Live for others.” According to O. Comte, altruism is the opposite, antonymous to egoism, and implies such behavior and activity of a person by which he brings more benefits to other people than requires them to make any expenses.

Opposition to this understanding of altruism is Charlie L. Hardy, Mark van Vugt, David Miller and David Kelly, who in their research showed that altruism and altruistic behavior are not associated with direct benefits, or with combinations of various benefits, but ultimately, in the long term in the long term create more benefits than were spent on performing altruistic actions.

The belief that people should provide help to those in need, regardless of possible future benefit, is a norm of social responsibility. It is this norm that encourages people, for example, to pick up a book that a man on crutches has dropped. Experiments show that even when helpers remain unknown and do not expect any gratitude, they often help people in need.

Those who love always strive to come to the aid of their beloved. However, an intuitive, unconscious desire to help does not necessarily have to apply to the human being with whom you are connected by bonds of love or friendship. Quite the contrary, the altruistic desire to help a complete stranger has long been considered proof of especially refined nobility. Such disinterested impulses of altruism are valued extremely highly in our society and even, as experts say, they themselves carry a moral reward for the troubles caused to us.

“No matter how selfish a person may seem, there are clearly certain laws inherent in his nature that force him to be interested in the fate of others and consider their happiness necessary for himself, although he himself receives nothing from this, except for the pleasure of seeing this happiness.”

Main types, forms and practices of altruism

Moral and normative altruism

The moral, ethical side of altruism can be understood through the moral imperative of I. Kant. Interiorized by a person, this or that understanding of morality can become such an intrapersonal formation as conscience, based on which, and not from the desire for certain benefits, a person will act. Thus, moral altruism is about acting in accordance with one's own conscience.

Another form, or one understanding of moral altruism, is its conceptualization within the framework of ideas about justice or justice, the social institutions of which are widespread in Western societies. Within the framework of ideas about justice, a person is seen as often ready to disinterestedly act for the truth and its triumph in the world of social relationships, as well as against various kinds of injustices.

Acting in compliance with obligations (that a person makes to himself or another) and expectations (that other people have regarding a person) are sometimes considered to be a certain degree of altruism. At the same time, such actions can often turn out to be actions of calculation.

Altruism from sympathy and empathy

Altruism can be associated with various kinds of social experiences, in particular with sympathy, sympathy for others, mercy and benevolence. Altruists, whose goodwill extends beyond family, neighborly, friendly relationships, as well as relationships with acquaintances, are also called philanthropists, and their activities are called philanthropy.

In addition to goodwill and compassion, altruistic actions are often done out of affection (for something/someone) or general gratitude for life.

Rational altruism

Rational altruism is a balancing (as well as an attempt to comprehend it) between one’s interests and the interests of another person and other people.

There are several areas of rationalization of altruism:

Social psychology of altruism and altruistic behavior

With the development of empirical psychological research, such vague concepts as altruism and usefulness are gradually being replaced by the more common term “prosocial behavior.”

There are sex differences in altruistic behavior, with women tending to exhibit more long-term prosocial behavior (e.g., caring for loved ones). For a man, unique “feats” (for example, during a fire) are more likely, in which specific social norms are often violated.

There are also studies from the field of evolutionary psychology that show that humans survive through cooperation and normal reciprocity. As Herbert Simon put it, prosocial behavior has an advantage in a situation of natural selection/evolution, and in a sense, altruism can be seen as a genetic program in humans.

According to socio-psychological studies of altruistic behavior, a person’s personal responsibility plays an important role in it. Making decisions requires taking responsibility for those decisions. If a decision is made by a group of people, then responsibility for it is distributed among the group members, reducing the personal responsibility of each of them. As Dmitry Alekseevich Leontiev writes, referring to the research of social psychologists described in the book by Lee Ross (English) Russian (English) and Richard Nisbett

Russian

: “if something happens, if you feel bad, you need help, and people are walking around without stopping, you can’t simply call for help without turning to anyone. Choose any person, look at him and contact him personally, and the likelihood that someone will come to your aid will increase several times.”

Other varieties

1. In the general concept of altruism, there are separate sub-concepts that describe some specific types of altruism. For example:
2. Notes
3. Soloviev. V. S. Justification of good, 3.11, I
4. Modern psychological dictionary / Edited by B. G. Meshcheryakov, V. P. Zinchenko. - St. Petersburg: Prime-Euroznak, AST, . - 496 s. - (Psychology is the best). - 3000 copies.
5. - ISBN 978-5-17-046534-7, ISBN 978-5-93878-524-3
6. Manuela Lenzen. Evolutionstheorien in den Natur- und Sozialwissenschaften. Campus Verlag, 2003. ISBN 3-593-37206-1 (Google Books)
7. Charlie L. Hardy, Mark van Vugt. Giving for Glory in Social Dilemmas: The Competitive Altruism Hypothesis. University of Kent, Canterbury 2006.
8. David Miller. 'Are they my poor?': The problem of Altruism in a World of Strangers. In: Jonathan Seglow (Hrsg.): The Ethics of Altruism.: Frank Cass Publishers, London 2004. - ISBN 978-0-7146-5594-9, S. 106-127.
9. David Kelley. Altruism and capitalism. In: iOS Journal. 1 January 1994. Jonathan Seglow (Ed.). The Ethics of Altruism. ROUTLEDGE CHAPMAN & HALL. London. - ISBN 978-0-7146-5594-9.
10. Soloviev V. S. Justification of good. Part one. Chapter 3. Pity and altruism
11. Dawkins, Clinton Richard.
12. Eagly A.H. Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. - Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ 1987.
13. Hoffman M. L. Is altruism a part of human nature? In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 40 (1981), pp. 121-137.
14. Ross, Lee D. (English) Russian , Nisbett, Richard E. (English) Russian Person and the Situation: Lessons from Social Psychology = The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology / Translation from English by V. V. Romaniansky, edited by E. N. Emelyanov, B. S. Magun. - M.: Aspect-Press, January 12, 1999. - 429 p. - 5000 copies.
15. - ISBN 5-7567-0234-2, ISBN 5-7567-0233-4 Leontiev, Dmitry Alekseevich. Labyrinth of identities: not a person for identity, but identity for a person (Russian) // Philosophical Sciences

: magazine. - 2009. - No. 10. - P. 6.

• Links
• R. Corsini, A. Auerbach. Psychological Encyclopedia - Altruism

PsyJournals - Altruism with pleasure: the psychology of volunteering

• see also

Generativeness

• Categories:
• Ethics
• Personality Traits
• Motivation
• Actions and behavior
• Social Psychology
• Core Social Values

Social obligations

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Synonyms

Antonyms See what “Altruism” is in other dictionaries:

Altruism- (French altruisme from Latin alter other) a moral principle that prescribes selfless actions aimed at the benefit (satisfying the interests) of other people. The term "A." was introduced by O. Comte to capture the concept opposite to the concept of “egoism”; ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

- Altruism ♦ Altruisme Auguste Comte (***) called altruism “living for the sake of others.” This means that to be an altruist is to be guided in life not by your own interests, but by the interests of another person (other people). In fact, this almost never happens... Sponville's Philosophical Dictionary altruism

- (from Latin alter other) a system of value orientations of an individual, in which the central motive and criterion for moral assessment are the interests of another person or a social community. The term "A." introduced by the French philosopher O. Comte as... ...

Great psychological encyclopedia Political science. Dictionary.

Philanthropy, selflessness, selflessness Dictionary of Russian synonyms. altruism see unselfishness Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Synonym dictionary

Altruism- (French altruisme, lat. alter - basqa) – based on the principle larga riiyasyz, payda izdemey (tilemey) shyn, taza konilmen komektesu, when we take,… … Philosophy terminerdin sozdigi

- (lat. alter - other) - selfless concern for the welfare of other people. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness. a moral principle consisting of selfless service to other people, the term was introduced by O. Comte as the opposite in meaning to egoism. Big… … Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

- (French allruisme, from Latin alter another), self-sacrifice (in animals), a genetically determined behavioral reaction (usually in adults), consisting of a kind of sacrifice of individual biological well-being, even life, ... ... Ecological dictionary

- Altruism ♦ Altruisme Auguste Comte (***) called altruism “living for the sake of others.” This means that to be an altruist is to be guided in life not by your own interests, but by the interests of another person (other people). In fact, this almost never happens...- a m. altruisme m. lat. alter other. 1830. Lexis. Selfless concern for the welfare of other people; willingness to sacrifice one's own interests. BAS 2. Why don’t scientists study social phenomena in the same way as they study the phenomena of struggle... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language More details

What is altruism? Every person intuitively understands this definition. We have all heard about people who, having managed to give up the possession of many material goods, devoted their lives to serving others. A person who has chosen altruism as his main lifestyle usually takes responsibility for what is happening and sincerely wants to help those around him. He already ceases to reason based on personal gain, as well as forgets about individual aspirations. True selflessness is born only in an open and caring heart.

Altruism is the desire of a person to live for the well-being of others. The term altruism was introduced in the 18th century by the philosopher François Xavier Comte. He argued that only altruism makes a person stronger, elevates him above circumstances.

Theories of altruism

When talking about theories of altruism, one should take into account the fact that each of them is based on a different approach to life. All theories in a certain way reveal an inextricable connection with each other.

Evolutionary theory

Based on the concept of gradual moral growth of a person. According to this theory, a person gets the opportunity to grow and develop spiritually only in a situation where his inner nature is involved and revealed in selfless service to others. Evolutionary theory states that the more educated people become, the more real benefits they can bring to society. A cultured person has every chance to achieve moral enlightenment and transformation of the soul.

Social exchange theory

This theory suggests that every person, when planning to perform a particular action, first mentally analyzes his own advantages. The theory of social exchange consists in accepting mutual comfortable conditions of existence: by helping one’s neighbor, a person has reason to hope that one day he will not be left without attention and participation.

Social norms theory

This theory assumes that a person acting selflessly has no right to expect a response to his kindness because society would not approve of such behavior. The theory of social norms teaches to act according to conscience, based only on ethical and moral beliefs.

Types of altruism

Based on the definition of altruism, we can identify its main types. Types of altruism are aimed at identifying the components of selfless service in different life circumstances.

It lies in the unconscious need of every parent to take care of their child. Father and mother are often forced to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the future happiness and well-being of the baby. If their love were not selfless, we could not talk about altruism. Parental love is not limited by anything: it does not judge, does not seek its own benefit, and does not force one to take the position of a “debtor.” Many people take this type of altruism for granted, and therefore do not consider it something unusual or out of the ordinary.

Moral altruism

Here we are talking about such highly moral actions that change a person’s consciousness: they awaken in him gratitude, openness, desire to be useful, not dependent on one’s own mood. Moral ideals are strongly associated with social attitudes and service to people. This type of selfless help is based on social beliefs. It is a social institution that sometimes dictates to an individual how she should live, where to direct her individual efforts.

Empathic altruism

This type of noble manifestation of the best qualities of a person’s character is based on the spiritual need to be understood and heard. Only those who know how listen and support in difficult times, can claim to be called the best friend and noble comrade. This type of holistic dedication to another person allows the soul to truly open up and achieve complete mutual understanding with near and dear people.

Examples of altruism

Here it would be reasonable to give significant characteristics of altruism, examples of moral actions of an individual that make it possible to determine the truth of the good intentions of a person striving to do good.

Gratuitousness is the main example of altruism. A true altruist, giving care and warmth to those around him, never thinks about what result this action will have for him personally. Such a person is ready to selflessly share his thoughts, aspirations, mood, and opportunities with those around him. Material goods are, as a rule, of little importance to him. Selfless dedication makes him recognizable in the eyes of society. An altruist never demands anything in return. He is ready to selflessly help those in need and listen to the desires of other people. At the same time, such a person, as a rule, remembers himself and his own needs last. He is often bypassed when it comes to promotions, whether it comes to money or gratitude.

Sacrifice

Another example is renunciation of personal benefits. An altruist gets used to sacrificing his interests, giving up his own desires for the sake of the happiness and well-being of loved ones. Sometimes it seems that he himself does not need anything. Sacrifice is formed in the character of a person who has made altruism an integral part of his life. Sacrifice manifests itself in everything and is especially strong in relationships with others. An altruist thinks first about others, and then about his own personality. However, the turn “about yourself” may not come at all: you can always find someone in need of help and consolation. Sacrifice gradually becomes a habit for those who live in the interests of their children, parents, and work colleagues. A person who has freedom of choice consciously refuses to live for himself and directs his attention to the needs of his immediate environment.

Responsibility

An altruistic mood always involves acceptance full responsibility for your actions and actions. It is impossible to imagine an altruist as selfish, not realizing why he does all his good intentions. Responsibility arises when a person realizes that he can really help someone. This example demonstrates how altruism changes personality.

Mental satisfaction

A person who has cultivated an altruistic principle in himself, as a rule, begins to experience significant spiritual uplift. This is an example of how beneficial it is to develop an inclination to serve others. Having achieved a state of mental satisfaction, he gets the opportunity to remain satisfied with life, perform pious deeds, and fully control his actions. A person feels happiness when he has the opportunity to share joy.

Thus, altruism is the natural state of a person who has discovered his natural generosity and desire to be useful to others.

Good day, dear readers. In this article you will learn about altruism and what it is. You will become aware of how this condition manifests itself. You will learn what factors influence its development. You will be able to familiarize yourself with examples and theories of altruism.

Definition of the concept and classification

The term "altruism" has many definitions, however, they all have a common feature - it is associated with caring for other people without any gain. The term “dedication” is very appropriate in this case. An altruist does not expect rewards for his actions; he behaves this way without demanding anything in return. The opposite of altruism is selfishness. Egoists are not respected, they are despised, while altruists are admired, they evoke respect and a desire to inherit. From a psychological point of view, altruism is a feature of an individual’s behavior associated with the commission of actions and actions aimed at the well-being of other, sometimes strangers, people. The first to use the concept of altruism was Comte, a French sociologist. This specialist considered such a state as a selfless motivation of an individual who does not expect anything in return, benefits others, but not himself.

There are three main theories of altruism.

1. Evolutionary. It is based on the concept of increasing morality in an individual, which occurs gradually. Following this theory, a person has the opportunity to grow spiritually in situations where it is possible to use the inner nature and open up in selfless service to others. It is believed that a more educated person will be able to bring greater benefits to society.
2. Social sharing. The point is that every person who wants to do something first analyzes their own advantages. The theory says that comfortable conditions for the existence of the person himself and the one he helps should be accepted. When an individual provides any help to his neighbor, he subconsciously hopes that when he himself finds himself in trouble, they will come to his aid.
3. Social norms. Its essence is that an individual who acts selflessly should not expect reciprocal behavior. This theory teaches that one must act in collusion with one's conscience, based on moral convictions.

There are such types of altruism.

1. Moral. An individual engages in altruistic activities, participates in charity, and can be a donor. All this is done in order to obtain inner satisfaction and moral comfort.
2. Rational. An altruist shares his own interests, but also wants to help others. Before committing a selfless act, he will weigh and think about everything.
3. Parental. Such altruism is observed in almost all mothers and fathers. Few people would not want to sacrifice themselves for the sake of a child.
4. Sympathetic. The individual strongly feels pain and experiences, the feelings of other people. He is trying to do everything to improve the current situation.
5. Demonstrative. A person does this not out of his own desire, but because it is necessary, it is necessary to help others.
6. Sociable. An individual selflessly helps, but only to his close circle, relatives and friends.
7. Empathetic. This type is based on the internal need to be heard and understood. Only those who know how to support and listen in difficult times should claim the role of a noble comrade or best friend. This type of altruism allows the soul to open up and achieve complete mutual understanding with dear and close people.

It is worth considering the positive and negative sides of altruism.

The advantages include:

• moral satisfaction;
• the opportunity to atone for one’s conscience for some bad deeds, to get rid of feelings of guilt;
• acquiring a good status in society and the respect of other people.

The disadvantages include:

• the possibility of harming oneself;
• an altruist can be used by bad people for their own purposes.

Causes

1. Empathy. The ability of a person to empathize with the mental suffering of another. The ability to put yourself in the place of a suffering person.
2. A bad deed committed. When an individual tries to make amends for his guilt, to gain redemption by doing good deeds.
3. The desire to establish yourself in society. A person specifically engages in charity work to draw attention to his person. In fact, his actions are not based on good intentions. Essentially, he is pretending in order to benefit.
4. Engaging in altruism in order to gain respect from friends and family.
5. Mental disorder. Sometimes altruism is a symptom of such an illness. Then it manifests itself as an increased risk to the health and life of the individual engaged in altruism.

Characteristics of altruists

Let's look at what basic character traits a person who can be called an altruist should have. I bring to your attention manifestations of altruism:

To become an altruist you do not need to be rich or occupy a certain place in society. Sometimes it is enough to provide support, pay attention, and provide care to help a person.

Examples

People do not always understand what exactly altruists do. Therefore, I bring to your attention examples of altruism.

1. A soldier who lay down on a mine with his chest in order to save other colleagues during the war.
2. Caring for a close relative, when an individual spends a lot of his time, attention and money.
3. A mother caring for a sick, disabled child who does not think about herself at all. She allocates all funds for treatment and introduces the baby to specialists and teachers. Forgets about his personal life.
4. Volunteers who care for sick animals or people in difficult situations

Other examples of altruism include:

• donation;
• subbotniks;
• charitable assistance to sick children or orphans;
• assistance from an experienced mentor to a beginner.

Now you know the meaning of altruism. As you can see, in most cases this state has a positive effect on the altruist and on his environment. However, it is worth considering possible disadvantages, in particular, the fact that for the sake of another person an individual can forget about himself and commit an act that will harm him. You need to be able to empathize and help those in need. Then our world will become a better place, and there will be more happy people.

Scientists have long been interested in what pushes people to help strangers, risking themselves; is heroism a feature of only some or are we all altruists by nature? Although examples of altruism can be found in a variety of organisms, human motives are much more complex and are based on both biological and psychological factors.

January 27, 2017 in Moscow, traffic police inspector Alexey Konyaev , who was patrolling the territory of Savinskaya embankment, jumped into the Moscow River to save a woman who was in a sinking car. It took two attempts, but with the help of eyewitnesses to the incident, he managed to save her by pulling her out through a broken window. For his actions, the inspector will be nominated for a state award. We often hear about such cases of heroism, where people in everyday life show quick reaction and selflessness to save others, while risking their own lives. Each time, similar events are actively covered by the media and evoke admiration, enhanced by the fact that heroic deeds are performed by “ordinary” people like the rest of us.

David Rand (David Rand) of Yale University studied many such cases of everyday heroism to try to understand the way people think while performing selfless acts.

The main result of his research was the conclusion that people tend to act most selflessly when forced to make quick, intuitive decisions.

In his previous research, Rand tried to answer a more fundamental question: Are we biologically predisposed to act selfishly or unselfishly? As a result of his experiments in the laboratory, Rand discovered that the less time subjects were given to think in tests, the more selflessly they performed. He asked participants to play simple games for money, for example, and found that they were more willing to share their money with other players when they were in a hurry due to time constraints. Thus, they had to act intuitively rather than analytically, since there was no time for this. By the same token, when participants were asked to remember a specific number during a game, thereby suppressing conscious thinking, they became more generous to other players. Despite some differences between people, on average, they all seemed to cooperate on an intuitive level when they didn't have time to analyze the situation. Based on this data, Rand concluded that we are “by default” predisposed to cooperate with each other.

However, he was interested in more than exploring the exchange of money.

“I wondered if this trend would repeat itself when the stakes were much higher,” he said, and so he continued to study stunning examples of “extreme altruism,” what is commonly known as heroism.

The subjects of his work were people who had been awarded the Carnegie Endowment Medal for Heroism - ordinary citizens who risked their lives to save others. Using media coverage from the time of their outstanding deeds, Rand collected statements from fifty honorees about their good deeds. Next, an independent team evaluated these descriptions through various psychological factors to see whether they reflected intuitive decisions, or whether these heroes' bravery was the result of a conscious decision in which they had to convince themselves that it was, in fact, the right thing to do.

In general, the vast majority - about 90% - of manifestations of “extreme altruism”, as it appears in the study, were based entirely on unconscious instinct. It is also interesting that some of them took these actions even though they had plenty of time to doubt, analyze the situation, and even convince themselves that it was safer to do nothing at all. However, in most cases, these doubts did not cross their minds: in a matter of seconds, they knew that they had to act for the benefit of another person, even if they risked their own lives to do so.

A well-known case of such a risk is the action of a Soviet swimming athlete Shavarsh Karapetyan in 1976. While jogging, Karapetyan witnessed a trolleybus fall into Lake Yerevan and immediately decided to come to the aid of the passengers. In zero visibility, it plunged to a depth of 10 m, saving one passenger each time. In total, he managed to rescue 46 or 92 passengers, but only 20 of them survived. The doctors who received the patients were sure that a whole team of rescuers was working; no one expected such endurance from one person. Heroism really turned into a risk for Karapetyan’s own life - he spent 45 days in the hospital with a severe case of pneumonia. However, the speed of his reaction in a critical situation is truly admirable.

Rand explains it this way. Our brain has two operating modes, which can be simply called fast and slow thinking. Slow thinking is conscious, analytical and logical, while fast thinking operates on autopilot, developed by our habits, which can be activated at any time. Although heroism may seem like a surprise brought on by extreme situations, Rand believes that extreme altruists carry a tendency toward selflessness throughout their daily lives, so that helping others is part of that autopilot for them.

“If you develop a habit of cooperating and helping others, it will become your default behavior, and it will also mean that you are more likely to do the same in other contexts. We cultivate habits of virtue,” says Rand.

The question arises as to how such habits were developed in people and whether selfless altruism is necessary from a biological point of view.

Evolutionary biologists define altruism as the actions of an organism for the benefit of another organism to the detriment of itself. Of course, technically, such an act reduces the organism's chances of further reproduction. However, we can observe "altruistic" behavior in nature in various types of organisms. However, upon closer examination, scientists concluded that selflessness motives can be explained genetically. In nature, animals (even bacteria) tend to only help those with whom they are genetically related, a process called kin selection. This action ensures that their genes will continue to spread in the future. Another biological motive for helping in animals is the expectation of a return service in the future, or reciprocal altruism.

As it turned out, people are also often guided by these two motives when providing help. Research has shown that we are much more willing to help others and are also more likely to provide a service if we expect to receive something in return. Initially, human altruism extended only to members of their own group, along with hostility to others. This has also been proven at the neurochemical level - the effect of oxytocin, which is known to make people more kind and sympathetic, turns out to apply only to those whom a person considers “their own”.

However, these examples do not explain cases of human altruism that do not fit into evolutionary theory - such as charitable giving and donating blood and organs to strangers.

“There is a cultural aspect that has come a long way to overcome our genetic drive towards self-interest,” says Kieran Healy (Kieran Healy), an assistant professor of sociology at Arizona State University, who wrote a book about why people become organ donors. Human behavior cannot be explained only by the biological characteristics inherent in us - the process of the work of our consciousness is much more complex than that of animals. We have created entire systems and institutions based on the idea of ​​mutual assistance. We absorb ideas of altruism throughout the socialization process from each other, from our parents, from our role models, from religion and secular ethics. With people, Healy says, it's worth looking at "both the psychology and the biology of altruism."

The influence of sociocultural norms is so firmly rooted in our consciousness that it sets the correct behavior trends from a very early age. For example, in the Nizhny Novgorod region a third grader Dima Filyushin was able to save three neighboring children from a fire, for which he was presented with the Order of Courage. On his way home, he saw a fire in his neighbors’ house and realized that two three-year-old twins and their five-year-old sister would not be able to escape on their own, he pulled them out of the burning room. The hero realized the obvious risk to his life only when he saw his mother’s reaction to the story of what happened.

Behavior approved by society forms in all normally socialized people certain attitudes and norms that we unconsciously follow, and helping others is one of them. The more we are influenced by social norms, the more it changes our behavior patterns. For example, cases of heroism of military personnel, including former ones, are more common, because saving lives is their direct responsibility - both during training and during service, they form habits and a sense of duty aimed only at this goal.

Ministry of Emergency Situations employee Evgeny Voskresensky , a firefighter, explains his actions when saving people as follows: “I just understand that I can find myself in the same situation, and people will come to my aid, therefore, understanding these people and their situation, I imagine myself in their place.”

Kristen Renwick Monroe Kristen Renwick Monroe, author of The Heart of Altruism, gives an even deeper definition of altruists. In her book, she looked at people who engage in various altruistic acts - from those who donate money to charity to those who saved Jews from the Nazis - and defined altruism as something that has little to do with veiled self-interest.

"Altruists tend to have a different view of the world than the rest of us," she says. - “Where we see a stranger, they see a person just like themselves. Think about it, if someone offered you a million dollars to kill one of your relatives, you would, of course, refuse. Altruists treat all people in the same way.”