Altruism Psychology Essay Samples

An altruism vs egoism: own opinion

Altruism can be defined as an ethical behavior where an individual puts other people's welfare before themselves. On the other hand, egoism represents an individual who is more concerned with his or her welfare disregarding others. I, therefore, disagree that altruism is a form of egoism. Ideally, a person cannot be said to have other people's interest as an expression of ones self-interests. From these definitions, it is clear that the two terminologies completely contradict each other, thus one cannot be said to be a subject of the other.

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Human beings have different instincts, which provoke their behavior and reactions to certain life events. For example, in a religious \fanatics\" may consider it righteous to put other people's concerns before theirs. On the other hand non-religious individuals may choose survival over others welfare. Additionally someone's ego contributes significantly to their behavior instincts which determines whether they are altruistic or egotistic. However this does not warrant them alike. One needs to have a positive mind when helping others and should not be as a way of personal gain. For such a gesture to qualify as an altruism but not an egoism it must be selfless. It must portray the highest degree of dedication to sacrifice your own happiness on behave of others. A good example is where an individual chooses to save a child's life in a \"life or death\" situation.

To some people having others interest at heart has a different meaning all together. To them helping others is a source of fame or recognition. This makes altruism a form of egoism indirectly. Arguably helping others brings out a good side of every individual but we cannot call it altruism unless the motive is purely selfless. As the saying goes “appearances do lie” a person may seem too moral while in real sense he or she is just putting on a show to impress others. The real form of altruism is driven and manifested through complete self-actualization and desire to do good at all times. This is why egoism cannot relate to altruism.

Finally good morals and selfishness cannot ‘intermarry.” Individuals who place their self-interest before others do not qualify as altruistic. Altruistically speaking good deeds are defined by no personal gain. One can only have selfness behavior if there is less personal gain where others benefit more than you do.

On the other hand some scholars may say that a person has the desire to help others due to the egotistic drive. This means that altruism is a form of egoism. However in my opinion the two are entirely different and one cannot be a definition of the other.

In conclusion good morals are the backbone of a good society. Therefore egoism should be avoided when considering other people’s concerns. That way the society is able to grow positively at an admirable rate. Similarly a person is not defined by what they do but the motive behind their actions. This is what differentiate between altruism and egoism. Therefore I disagree that altruism is a form of egoism.

An altruistic behavior as individual's inner interest to help other people

Yes. I believe that altruism is a form of egoism. For starters, altruism is defined as the selfless concern about other people's well being. Egoism, on the other hand has its basic foundation on the ethical thesis that morality is based on self-interest. It posits that self-interest is the main motivator for all human conduct. The question of the connection between altruism and egoism has been a major debatable topic for long. Both terms reflect opposite dimensions from their basic definitions, spiking a great deal of controversy among analysts and scholars. However, i believe that altruistic behavior manifests an individual's inner interest to help other people especially where such assistance is not required of the giver. A person who sets apart time is rather egoistic than altruistic because they are self-actualized.

Even when it is not the case, everyone desires to be seen as morally upright. Helping the needy is one of the most critical ways that serve such interest. Although one who genuinely helps others must not be overly rich or wealthy, they are most often driven by the guilt of living in a more privileged way. As such, they think beyond serving their personal lifestyles and resolve to offer their help in form of resources, time and money. When the less fortunate receive such help their challenging conditions improve. Impacting positively on a needy person's life stems the guilt status of the more fortunate beings.

Besides, humans are instinctively social. The well being of one person is affected by various factors of the society that they live in. No matter how wealthy one is, they are unable to live on their own. They require services and commodities from other people. These include the basic needs for survival namely health, food and shelter. Whether they have the ability to purchase such offerings with ease, they have to interact with people. Therefore, people have a sense of guilt of living in perfect conditions while others are struggling. One cannot just choose to ignore people they come across in their daily business. Self-interests such as the desire to fulfill happiness are based on other people. Achieving happiness brings forth the desire to spread the feeling to others. Although sad people are often the ones trying to lighten up the lives of others because they know how it feels to be sad and lonely, happy people experience a sense of helping other people.

Overall, people who dwell on their self-interests and discover who they really are stand a position of marking the difference between right and wrong. Identifying the wrong and the right is the perfect guide for human action. Performing a right or a wrong action depends on self-interest. If one capitalizes on achieving their personal interests, they desire to show the world about the position they are in. Reaching out to more successful people than oneself would not make a big impact but helping someone in need would help fulfill one's interests. Thus I affirm that altruism is a form of egoism.