Meaning of Altruism - Essay Sample

Altruism definition in psychology

Altruism may be defined as the utmost concern that is selfless for other people, sometimes referred to as the account of selflessness. Egoism, on the other hand, is looked at as the belief within the tenets of ethics which is founded on self-interest as a proper move for the conduct of man, at times known as the conceit.

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In my view, altruism is not only a form of egoism but also a manifestation of the latter. In this case the desire to help other people, mostly in the event that the need that is requested by a less fortunate individual mostly depends on the morality and the perception of self-righteousness on the person giving the much-requested need. Therefore, in the event that the self-perceived righteousness of the person helping out does not hold a belief on giving out the kinds of favor, it would mean that the need may not be given. On the account that the perception of helping others is a form of self-actualization, it, therefore, means that the urge to help others may be analyzed within the tenets of egoistic as opposed to altruism.

While self-interest is a point of consideration, people have the often want to be perceived from the viewpoint of being good as the manifestation of having good morals. Therefore the desire to attend to the needy serves that sort of self-interest. A good example of self-service being served by altruism is the guilt that is mostly connected with the account of living a life that may be considered by others as a privileged one. In this case, parting with some one’s possessions such as monetary resources and sometimes time to the persons considered as the less fortunate may be seen as a way of overcoming the guilt, which serves the self-interest of the person.

Altruism may also be considered as a manifestation and a form of self-preservation, which is expressed within the precepts of wanting to help the needy or the less fortunate. In this case, the desire to help others in my view is a way of achieving self-preservation. The rationale behind my argument is the account that sacrificing a portion of an individual’s possession(s) or even time is not an aspect of self-preservation but rather the preservation of others. The end goal of the sacrifice is to meet the needs of other persons. For example, in a fire outbreak scenario, firefighters, subject their life in a risk trying to meet the needs of other persons. Putting off the fire would not benefit them in any way, rather, it would contribute to saving life and property of other people. In this case, therefore, self-interests, in this case, would be expanded to mean the interests of others and the attempt to live the life, which is selfless for the sake of the larger community.

In conclusion, altruism is a form of egoism which is understood within the larger picture of the community as a whole. The need to serve others defines the aspects of altruism for the sake of the larger community.