“We have so far to go to realize our human potential for compassion, altruism, and love,” said Jane Goodall. In the world we live in today, this observation rings truer than ever: for every tragedy, there is an equal and opposite act of selflessness that reveals the infallibility of human compassion.
One of the core concepts of social work revolves around altruism – helping others without expectation of reward – which highlights the profession’s devotion to compassion and care. What are these underlying mechanisms that allow us to prioritize the service of others? We’ll delve into what this behaviour looks like, what drives us as humans to want to help and touch on the origins and widespread usage of altruism and selflessness as concepts throughout history.
What does prosocial behaviour look like?
Prosocial behaviour and altruism are two closely linked concepts, although they’re not exactly the same.
Prosocial behaviour is more of an umbrella term that covers a broader range of things you can do to benefit people other than yourself – things as simple as sharing an extra can of soft drink you got from the vending machine at lunchtime or donating blood without receiving anything in return.
Altruism is more linked to motivation – it’s about increasing the physical and mental welfare of others without expecting to increase your welfare, and it makes up the foundation of social work and how experts in the field give up time and energy to provide help for those who need it most.
Does this sound like you?
Someone you know is going through a hard time. They’re not your best friend, but it’s someone from work, someone you had a class with or an extended family member. You reach out. You want them to know that you’re there for them, and that is its own reward. You’re interested in elevating someone else’s welfare without the expectation of yours being lifted as well.
If being someone who reaches out and helps people appeals to you, there are always opportunities to make it official, a Masters of Social Work qualification online, for example, could solidify and improve your ability to help others. Of course, there’s stepping stones to get there, too. Volunteering at a local homeless shelter or for a local charity of your choice is a great way to dip your toes into altruistic waters and discover whether prosocial behaviour is a lifestyle you’d want to live before making any leaps of faith.
The history of altruism
Altruism is as old as humanity itself. However, from the point of view of philosophy and faith, it is also a concept with a lengthy history. Comte, a 19th-century French philosopher, introduced the term to describe his belief that people have a “moral obligation to renounce self-interest and devote themselves to others”.
However, much earlier, Aristotle said in the “Nicomachean Ethics”: “They say that one must wishgood things for a friend for his sake [ekeinouheneka]”. The Greek philosopher defined benevolence (kharis) as “A service to one in need, not in return for something nor so that the one who does the service may get something, but rather so that the other may”.
Many world religions fully adopted this concept. All Abrahamic religions have different ideas that share the concept of preferring the treatment of others over the treatment of the self, and one of Buddhism’s core tenets is promoting compassion for others, which ultimately brings happiness.
So, throughout our history, humans have tended to idealize altruism, often enshrining it in the sacred pages of religious texts.
So, why do we help others?
The American Psychological Association suggests that altruism’s engrailment within cultures, traditions, and belief systems is not an accident. The behaviour has been observed in societies spanning the globe throughout history, suggesting that it is a universal behaviour and “uniquely human”.
The study cited and carried out in the Simon Fraser University claimed that altruistic behaviours aren’t something that has come from evolution – instead, helping others is emotionally rewarding for everyone involved. Children in Vanuatu were gifted lollies and asked to give them away to assess emotional response. The first time, they were asked to use their newly gifted lollies, and a second time, with an extra lolly provided for them (one that they didn’t really own).
These researchers discovered that there was a greater positive emotional response from the more altruistic giving of the first experiment. Essentially, they could prove that people help others because it makes them feel good when they do so.
What’s more interesting is that the experiment was replicated in an animal population and the long-tailed macaques used consistently steered away from altruistic behaviours, instead going for the option that benefitted themselves the most. This shows that altruistic behaviour doesn’t seem to happen elsewhere in the animal kingdom – and it’s a trait that we should be thankful for.
In fact, a meta-analysis developed at Case Western Reserve University confirms that altruism promotes the well-being, happiness, health, and longevity of people. While other research conducted with almost 700 people at the University of Zurich revealed that to lead a meaningful life and feel complete, we need to believe that what we do makes a positive difference and that we can add value to others.
Therefore, the social work helps everyone. It helps the people in your community who struggle to make it through the day. It provides a strong role model to a young person who could make all the difference in expanding their potential. It gives a helping hand, an attentive ear, and a caring heart to those who need it the most, all using an attribute that is unique to us as humans: altruism.
References:
Baumann, D. & Ruch, W. (2021) Measuring What Counts in Life: The Development and Initial Validation of the Fulfilled Life Scale (FLS). Front. Psychol.; 12: 10.3389.
Reamer, F. G. (2017) Eye on Ethics: The Joys and Challenges of Altruism. Social Work Today; 17(2): 8.
Aknin, L. B. et. Al. (2015) Prosocial Behavior Leads to Happiness in a Small-Scale Rural Society. Journal of Experimental Psychology; 144(4): 788 –795.
Post, S. G. (2005) Altruism, happiness, and health: it’s good to be good. Int J Behav Med; 12(2):66-77.
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