MICHELANGELO PHENOMENON OF COU

ALTRUISM The French philosopher and sociologist Auguste Comte (1798-1857) coined Altruism. It was derived from the Italian word altrui, which means "to others" or "of others," "altruism" was referred as an antonym for "egoism". The prevalent view on the concept of altruism in psychology has expressed Skinner's feeling for a long time that there is no pure altruism. Altruism refers to a motivation that is voluntary and motivated by compassion to help that is primarily intended to alleviate the suffering of another individual and the helper does not expect repayment, reciprocity, appreciation, acknowledgement or any other advantages. It involves the unselfish concern for other people. It includes doing things essentially out of a longing to help, not on the grounds that you feel committed to out of obligation, dependability, or strict reasons 1.1.1 CONCEPT OF ALTRUISM According to Bandura (1977), altruism refers to voluntary behaviour that are fundamentally motivated to help others, i.e., acts motivated by internal motivations such as consideration and sympathy towards others or by ideals and self-rewards rather than personal benefits. Batson (1983) conceptualized altruism as a desire within an organism to raise another organism's wellbeing as an end-state goal. Altruism according to Buck and Ginsberg (1991) opined that altruism is the tendency of one organism to act to increase the welfare of another organism with no obvious benefit and often at a cost to the actor. 2 1.1.2 TYPES OF ALTRUISM 1. Genetic altruism: It is a type of altruism which involves engaging in altruistic acts that benefit close family members. They engage in self-sacrificing acts so that they can provide for the needs of family members. 2. Reciprocal altruism: It is a type of altruism which is based on a mutual give and take relationship that involves helping another person while expecting to return the favor. 3. Group-selected altruism: It is a type of altruism which involves engaging in altruistic acts for people based upon their group affiliation. It involves helping other people or supporting social causes that benefit others that are part of their social group. 4. Pure altruism: It is also known as moral altruism which involves helping someone else, even when it is risky, without any reward. It is motivated by internalized values and morals. 1.1.3 EXISTENCE OF ALTRUISM Evolution Kin selection is an evolutionary theory that proposes that people are more likely to help those who are blood relatives since it would improve the likelihood of gene transfer to future generations. The more closely linked people are, the more possible it is for individuals to support. Research also suggests that prosocial behaviours such as altruism, cooperativeness, and empathy have a genetic basis. Brain-Based Rewards The reward centers in the brain are triggered by altruism. Neurobiologists have discovered that the pleasure centers of their brains become more active when a person,