ALTRUISM, HOW CAN WE INCREASE

Altruism is selfless concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among religions. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness.

Altruism can be distinguished from feelings of loyalty and duty. Altruism focuses on a motivation to help others or a want to do good without reward, while duty focuses on a moral obligation towards a specific individual (for example, a god, a king), a specific organization (for example, a government), or an abstract concept (for example, patriotism etc.). Some individuals may feel both altruism and duty, while others may not. Pure altruism is giving without regard to reward or the benefits that recognition of the giving may bring. The term altruism may also refer to an ethical doctrine that claims that individuals are morally obliged to benefit others. Used in this sense, it is the opposite of egoism.

Pro-social behavior is described as "behavior intended to benefit another". Such behaviors may include comforting, sharing, working or playing cooperatively, and displaying empathy for others, all of which have an element of altruism. Altruism is defined by Eisenberg et al. (1999) as "behavior motivated by concern for others or by internalized values, goals, and self-rewards rather than by the expectation of concrete or social rewards, or the desire to avoid punishment or sanctions". 

Therefore, it is our contention that altruism is the purest form of caring--selfless and non-contingent upon reward--and thus the predecessor of pro-social cognitions and behaviors. While many character education programs focus on promoting pro-social behavior, the literature holds very few suggestions for specifically promoting altruism. 

HOW CAN WE INCREASE ALTRUISM

Research studies by social scientists have suggested that the following factors can help to increase helping:

  Reduce ambiguity, increasing responsibility

  Guilt and concern for self-image

  Teaching moral inclusion:

  Modeling altruism:

Reduce ambiguity, increasing responsibility: Personal appeals for help are much more effective than posters and media announcements. Nonverbal appeals can also be effective when they are personalized. So does reduction of anonymity.

Guilt and concern for self-image: People who have been reprimanded for their transgressions are more likely to offer help than those who have not been reprimanded. People who have given door-in-the-face responses are likely to agree to a smaller and more reasonable request. Labeling people as helpful can also increase helpful contributions.

Teaching moral inclusion: Broadening the range of people whose well-being concerns us  and inviting advantaged people to put themselves in others' shoes, to imagine how they feel, helps.

Modeling altruism: It's better not to publicize rampant tax cheating, littering and teen drinking, and instead to emphasize - to define a norm of - people's widespread honesty, cleanliness, and abstinence. Norms for generosity could perhaps be cultivated by simply including a new line on tax forms that requires people to compute - and thus to know - their annual donations as a percentage of income. Modeling effects were also apparent within the families of European Christians who risked their lives to rescue Jews in the 1930s and 1940s and of 1950s. 

DIFFERENT MEASURES TO HELP OTHERS 

Social learning theories of helping: The most prominent account of the antecedents and determinants of helping is social learning theory. According to social learning theory, behavior is shaped by both personal reinforcement and observational learning. That is, individuals are more inclined to enact behaviors that have attracted rewards in the past--regardless of whether they or someone they observed engaged in this act.

Determinants of helping: Many researchers have developed measures of helping to understand the determinants of such behavior. Indeed, a variety of studies have been undertaken to assess the antecedents to helpful, pro-social, or charitable behavior. First, some of these studies have examined personality factors, showing for example that agreeableness promotes helping behavior (Graziano, Habashi, Sheese & Tobin, 2007).

Second, other studies have shown how dyadic factors--that is, properties of the relationship between two individuals--can affect the incidence of helping. Individuals, for example, are more likely to offer help to someone with whom they share some key similarities (Batson & Powell, 2003). They are more inclined to help someone of the opposite sex, especially if such assistance does not involve any direct contact between themselves and the beneficiary (Bickman, 1974).

Blame and self help: To some extent, whether individuals cho0se to donate money to victims of a disaster depends on the perceived cause of these tragedies. As Zagefka, Noor, Brown, de Moura, and Hopthrow (2011) showed, if people feel the disaster was caused by humans in some sense, even if not the victims, donations tend to diminish.

Too often the trend in our society is for people to be separated from either other, to be cut off from the great mass of humanity, and in doing so to be dehumanized a little bit more with each step.