Pay it Forward
Anonymous acts of
kindness take place every day in society. Whether it is small act of helping
someone cross the street, or a larger act of helping with duties at an animal
rescue, there is always an example to be found. This morning while I was
performing my regular scheduled tasks, I took a moment to help a new member of
our charity organization put together an event schedule for an upcoming charity
event she is chairing. Considering there are plenty of members who can provide
the help she needed, it was recommended that she come to me for assistance
because of my in-depth knowledge of this particular event, which focuses on
HIV-infected children.
Altruism, Responsibility, and Codependency
Altruism in the
purest form is the act of giving without expectation of renumeration. Meaning
that true altruism is an authentic value of placing the concern for others
above that of oneself (Trivers, 1971). In contrast, responsibility on a personal,
professional, and social level relates to an individual’s behaviors that
directly influence a societal benefit. Codependency is a set of emotional and
behavioral aspects of an individual with low self-esteem that are directed
toward finding internal happiness from outside sources (Trivers, 1971). In
society today, acts of altruism are considered rare, because arguments provide
evidence that many acts of kindness lack a core authentic value (Mandala
Publications, 2006). Responsibility, whether it be personal, professional or
social, can be attributed to an individual’s desire to promote a healthy social
structure, whereas codependency is reliant on a reciprocal relationship between
two or more individuals (Mandala Publications, 2006).
Altruism and Psychology
Individual’s working
in a psychological setting are tasked with providing services that directly
support and improve the quality of life of his or her patients (Dingfelder,
2006). The principles and ethics applied to psychology were developed as a guideline
of how psychologists and other mental health professionals provide quality
services that help individuals overcome, adapt, and coexist with a variety of
mental conditions (Dingfelder, 2006). Although the absolute goal of an
individual working in psychology is to promote well-being, this does not
necessarily mean the individual is engaging in acts of altruism because unless
the work being performed is done completely on a voluntary basis, the
individual is receiving some form of compensation for his or her work
(Dingfelder, 2006).
Altruism and Human Conditions
I believe that acts
of altruism enhance society and individuals on a personal level because true
acts of altruism elicit positive feelings for both the giver and receiver
involved. My experience outlined in the introduction of this paper is a minor
example of how offering to assist a new member of a charity organization plan
and organize a charity event benefiting HIV-infected children provided me with
a strong sense of personal satisfaction because I know the outcome of the event
will benefit those in true need. By helping another member of our organization
with this particular event, she will also gain knowledge and experience needed
to help other new members of the organization that choose to produce similar
events in the future; hence the adage of “paying-it-forward” (Association for
Psychological Science, 2010).
Altruism in Relation to Responsibility
As stated earlier,
the act of altruism is considered rare in society, especially in a professional
setting because professional settings involve renumeration. However, I believe
that certain professions like psychology require an individual to emulate
altruism for the benefit of his or her clients. Although acts of complete
selflessness are noted, and people in general are capable of performing
selfless acts, I believe that modern day societal practices either limit, or
ignore such acts frequently. In a professional setting, renumeration is the
primary factor that removes altruism from the equation. Psychologists or others
employed in mental health fields primarily do so as a career, which means that
for altruism to exist in the professional world of psychology, practitioners
would need to perform services on a volunteer basis (Plante, 2011).
Psychology’s Future in Society
Psychology will
endure and grow throughout the progression of society. As society grows,
cultures merge together, and the demands on the environment increase,
psychological practices will become more prevalent in addressing the stressors
and mental aspects associated with societal growth. As people from more
advanced societal structures merge with those of underdeveloped societal
structures, the need for altruism will also increase. Individuals from
underdeveloped nations, or poorer sociocultural environments will continue to
need services not easily accessible to them. Individual’s employed in
psychology are and will continue to exhibit acts of altruism by providing
services on a volunteer basis.
Conclusion
Acts of authentic
altruism are something that all humans are capable of performing because the
act of selflessness is an inherent trait of humanity. Whether or not authentic
acts of selflessness are performed on a regular basis by a single individual,
or that people believe that true altruism exists or not, the evidence to
support it can be seen, if one takes the time to look for it. Professionals in
mental health care can emulate altruism when working with clients, but because
he or she receives compensation for service provided, the professional aspect
is mutually exclusive from being considered altruistic unless the individual
engages in services on a volunteer basis. I conclude that altruism does exist
in society, but because of the hectic nature of daily life, many authentic acts
of selflessness go unnoticed, which makes altruism seem more like urban legend.
References
Association
for Psychological Science. (2010). Pay
it forward: Elevation leads to altruistic behavior. Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2010/schnall.cfm
Dingfelder,
S.F. (2006, December). Altruism: an accident of nature?. Monitor on Psychology, 37(11), . Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/dec06/altruism.aspx
Mandala Publications. (2006). Altruism versus co-dependency. Retrieved from http://mandala.fpmt.org/archives/mandala-issues-for-2006/august/altruism-versus-co-dependency/
Plante, T. G. (2011).
Contemporary clinical psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Trivers, R. L. (1971). The
evolution of reciprocal altruism. The Quarterly Review of Biology, 46(1), 35.
doi: 10.1086/406755
