Pay It Forward

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