Delving Into the Meaning and Complexities of Altruism

DELVING INTO ALTRUISM1

Delving Into the Meaning and Complexities of Altruism

Jessica Boll

Western Washington University

Delving Into the Meaning and Complexities of Altruism

When you place others’ needs above your own and act upon the inclination to help them without the expectation of a reward or gratitude in return, that is altruism.An important issue to contemplate is why you do things for others.One of the difficulties in doing a truly altruistic act is knowing one’s motives, that is, whether you are doing something for yourself or for another. You should not expect to get anything external in return (Kottler, 2000). It is amazing to think of those examples in our lives, such as teachers and mentors, who graciously serve others. We admire them and wish we could do the same, but secretly, we are a little glad that they are the ones doing it, so we don’t have to. It is nice to know that there are people out there making a difference. Sometimes we think to ourselves, “Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone did that?” And it seems at first that these altruistic individuals are perfect people. But, at the second glance, they have hardships too and constantly giving to others takes its toll/ has consequences.Altruism can be very rewarding; however, living out an altruistic life has many costs, such as burnout or caring too much.

Altruism, in its most basic sense, is doing good for someone else. As Kottler states, “altruism is a particular kind of helping without anticipation of any reward or reciprocal benefit” (Kottler, 2000, p. 9). It is practiced in many professions, such as teaching, counseling, volunteering, and nursing, among others.“Human beings are born with the capacity to feel for others, called sympathy, and with others, known as empathy” (Kottler, 2000, p. 24). These two are motivators for altruism and may be reasons that people choose one of the caring professions. We do good things for others because we see them, wonder what it would be like to be in their position and feel sorry for them. Truly altruistic people “look for opportunities to reach out to others. They devote their lives to doing good…Furthermore, they neither expect nor ask for anything in return” (Kottler, 2000, p. 26). I strive to someday become this kind of person.

As a human service professional, I will be fulfilling my need to make a difference in the world. I believe that one aspirationencompassing of all mankind is the desire to improve the earth in some way. Like Kottler says, “the desire to leave the world better off than when you arrived on the scene is among the most noble of human motives” (2000, p. 43). Some people search for meaning in their spouse, family, or work.Personally, I want to know that I am doing something meaningful and enjoy it. So many people do not have a career where they want to go to work and enjoy what they do and neither does it have importance for them. But the work of caring “is far more than a job; it is a calling that requires almost limitless devotion and energy” (Kottler, p. 12). One of the best things about human services is that none of us are pursuing a future job that is focused on monetary, material or personal gain.In contrast to the ideal “American Dream,” “our purpose on this Earth may not at all be to further our egocentric, selfish goals but rather to serve the community and planet in the best way we can” (Kottler, 2000, p. 22).As it turns out, the key to living a fulfilled life is in the service of others.

Additionally, my work may in fact provide relief from my own problems. I will be able to focus on someone other than myself for a while. This type of work allows you to forget about your own hardships, be they trivial or monumental, and focus entirely on helping them to resolve their issues. I have discovered this experience as a caregiver and learned that you have to leave your own troubles on the doorstep because your job is to focus on one single person and help them the best you are able. At that point, it doesn’t matter if you have been having a rough day, because you need to put that aside and you can always turn your attitude around. Kottler explores the example of a teacher who “becomes less self-involved and more completely alive” when helping others (2000, p. 30). This really struck me because there are so many things that we do to “feel alive” and only last on a short-term scale,like taking drugs, pursuing thrills and entertainment, partying that can be very negative in many aspects. I, and probably many others, have this desire to feel alive and in the moment, truly living. One way to get that feeling of life is to simply give of yourself, and the rewards are lasting.

On a different note, one theory, presented by Warneken and Tomasello, argues that young children are naturally altruistic (2009, p. 456).Doing good is present in humans even in infancy. As a result of experiments with infants helping others to accomplish goals, Warneken and Tomasello concluded that children will help others, even if they gain no reward from doing so (2009). As a matter of fact, even if they have to put out extra effort before helping the other person to achieve a goal, such as picking up something that dropped to the floor, they will still be inclined to help. Furthermore, “children’s helping is driven by an intrinsic rather than an extrinsic motivation…they are actually motivated by the other person's need rather than an immediate benefit for themselves” (Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, p. 460). Even at a young age, we are able to recognize when another human being needs help, and we feel compelled to assist them even if there is no reward for such an action.Empathy motivates us from an early age to act on another person’s behalf. “In sum, humans do good because it comes naturally, it is biologically present because of evolution” (Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, p. 465).

Accompanying that, McCullough, Kimeldorf, and Cohen explore the aspect of gratitude in relation to altruism. They propose“that gratitude reinforcesprosocial behavior because expressions of gratitude (for example,saying ‘thanks’) increase the likelihood that benefactorswill behave prosocially again in the future” (McCullough, Kimeldorf, & Cohen, 2008,p. 282). They present the argument that we do good because that is the way we were brought up. We are taught by our parents to say “please and thank you” from an early age, therefore continuing the cycle of encouraging gratitude for helpful actions. We are encouraged to do good because others recognize such acts with appreciation. Basically, we are more likely to do good for others if our efforts are acknowledged. In the same way, “human cultures cultivate rather than implant altruism in the human psyche” (Warneken & Tomasello, 2009, p. 465).

By way of stark contrast, Ayn Rand brings a unique view to the idea of altruism and obliterates the necessity of reason,

Now there is one word—a single word—which can blast the morality of altruism out of existence and which it cannot withstand—the word: “Why?” Why must man live for the sake of others? Why must he be a sacrificial animal? Why is that the good? There is no earthly reason for it [living out altruism]—and, ladies and gentlemen, in the whole history of philosophy no earthly reason has ever been given. (Rand, 2010)

We cannot rationalize altruism because it is such that when you dig into its meanings and complexities that it loses meaning in a way. When you focus too much on that aspect, the importance of what you are actually doing diminishes. If you go around worrying, “Am I doing this for the wrong reasons?” then you will never get up and take action, which is a requirement of altruism. Once we try to explore the reasons “why” humans act altruistically, the intention is ruined because “reason and altruism are incompatible” (Rand, 2010).Rand goes on to explain that it is an irrational behavior, to act unselfishly, and you cannot justify mysticism, so all you can do is have faith in the idea (2010). She insists that there is no way for humans to understand why people do good, as it is an entirely supernatural sort of action.

Margo is the best example of an altruistic person I can think of. She has dedicated her life to serving the body of our church, working with the youth, leading a high school Bible study, and volunteering her time to influence their lives. Mainly, she is a cook and I would help her at different weekend camps each year where we cooked for a hundred to one hundred and fifty people. She is a very unique person to be able to handle all of that stress time and time again and want to repeat the experience. I know that she loves doing it, but it is a lot of physical hard work and preparation. On top of this she is a mother to four sons, all of which are now out of high school, and a wife. She also goes on yearly mission trips with the youth group, because she is passionate about helping and serving others.

My mother is another example of altruism. After having two kids of her own, she decided to marry into a huge family of ten kids. She was almost done raising us, but then started over again. Their My mom gives of herself everyday providing for and looking after all my step-siblings, as theirmom is an alcoholic, so they rarely are able to see her. If that is not service and self-sacrifice, then I don’t know what is. As of now, I still do not know why she decided to do such a crazy thing, but I know that she has a great love for those kids and hopefully they will one day appreciate what she is doing for them.

In my work as a human service professional, I will need to keep the attributes of altruism in mind to ensure that I am not doing good for the wrong reasons. I want to keep my goals in mind of making a difference in the world and being part of something bigger than myself. Remember that I am working solely for others and recognize that it may not be rewarding at first, but that it will hopefully come later on.

As we have seen, altruism is not only a word. It is a complex and meaningful style of living. Furthermore, to define altruism is not easily done, but essentially it is providing service to others in need in an unselfish way. Some theories suggest that altruism is naturally present in humans. There is also the idea that gratitude enhances the occurrence of good actions. Moreover, it may be that the meaning and definition of altruism is meant to be left unexplored, because that is where its true meaning is found.

References

Kottler, J. (2000). Doing good: Passion and commitment for helping others. Philadelphia, PA: Brunner-Routledge.

McCullough, M., Kimbeldorf, M., & Cohen, A. (2008). An adaptation for altruism?The social causes, social effects, and social evolution of gratitude.Current Directions in Psychological Science, 17(4), 281-285. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00590.x.

Rand, A. (2010). Altruism. Retrieved on February 2, 2010 from:

Warneken, F., & Tomasello, M. (2009). The roots of human altruism. British Journal of Psychology, 100(3), 455-471. doi:10.1348/000712608X379061.