ISSUE 11 | NOVEMBER 2019
BIKERS CLUB | MAGAZINE | PAGE 33
"I have learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will never
forget how you made them feel" - Maya Angelou.
to a local charity. While we
may be familiar with altruism,
social psychologists are
interested in understanding
why it occurs. What inspires
these acts of kindness?
What motivates people to
risk their own lives to save a
complete stranger?
Prosocial
Behaviour and
Altruism
Altruism is one aspect of
what social psychologists
refer to as prosocial
behaviour. Prosocial
behaviour refers to any
action that benefits other
people, no matter what the
motive or how the giver
benefits from the action.
Remember, however, that pure
altruism involves true
selflessness.
Psychology Made
Easy
While all altruistic acts are
prosocial, not all prosocial
behaviours are completely
altruistic. For example, we
might help others for a variety
of reasons such as guilt,
obligation, duty, or even for
rewards.
"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is
always from the noblest motives" - Oscar Wilde.
Explanations
Psychologists have suggested a
number of different explanations
for why altruism exists, including:
Biological Reasons
Kin selection is an evolutionary
theory that proposes that people
are more likely to help those who
are blood relatives because it will
increase the odds of gene
transmission to future generations.
The theory suggests that altruism
towards close relatives occurs in
order to ensure the continuation of
shared genes. The more closely
the individuals are related, the
more likely people are to help.