Altruism

Abstract

At first glance, helping, altruistic, or prosocial behavior can be conceptualized as actions intended to promote another’s welfare. The range of helping behaviors is great. It stretches from the simple courtesy of passing the salt at the table, to making charitable contributions, to supporting someone who is in difficulty, to laying down one’s life to save another’s. There is a corresponding variation in the demands associated with such helping behaviors, i. e., the amount of attention, time, effort and costs required to forego one’s own wishes and intended actions, self- sacrifice. Murray (1938) included in his motive catalog need nurturance as the underlying motive for helping behavior. This is his description of the relevant behaviors:

To give sympathy and gratify the needs of a helpless O(thers); an infant or any O that is weak, disabled, tired, inexperienced, infirm, defeated, humiliated, lonely, dejected, sick, mentally confused. To assist an O in danger. To feed, help, support, console, protect, comfort, nurse, heal (p. 184).