In one afternoon when I was sipping coffee in a certain restaurant looking out of the window, a boy seated on the ground on the other side of the road drew my attention. The boy seemed hungry and exhausted, just seated waiting for help. I stood up, got out of the restaurant and approached the boy. The temperatures were not very accommodative and the boy was shivering as the wind blew. The boy was in a tattered t-shirt, very hungry and in an awkward situation. I took him to the restaurant and bought him food and gave him my jacket and left him behind as he finished his meal. I felt very satisfied both psychologically and physically that I had helped an individual out of a situation. Seeing the boy stop shivering and seeing him smile as he ate made me feel that his problem had been solved for quite a while. Similarly, although my jacket was conspicuously larger than his size, I could conclude that he was emotionally positive. Altruism is a behavior whose impacts and essence is of great dimensions; it yields a lot of positivity in both parties.
Altruism refers to the inverse of selfishness. Hence, a person whose behavior is altruistic usually helps and care a lot about other people without expecting any benefit in return (Batson, 2014). Besides, altruism refers to motivation to improve other people’s well-being while disregarding the conscious self-interest altruism. Altruism which is facilitated by a great sense of sympathy has the capability to enhance both physical and psychological wellness. Social responsibility refers to the belief that a person should assist another who is in need of help without expecting any form of reward or benefit at both professional and personal levels. Co-dependency is the behavior which compromises an individual’s capability to enter and uphold relationships which are satisfactory (Bolt, 2004). Altruism is applicable in psychological principles in the way that psychologists offer assistance to patients through all possible means and while remaining within the ethical boundaries.
Since empathy-induced altruism may improve an individual’s psychological and physical wellness, the inside rewards such as feeling good after helping another, are capable of offsetting the feelings and thoughts which are negative. Thoughts of negativity are very dangerous to human health. For instance, after doing something that is of help to another, one’s consciousness feels happy, motivated and impressed hence able to alleviate emotions which would otherwise be harmful, such as anger. Similarly, altruism eliminates thoughts and feelings of negativity in the individuals who have been helped. They develop a spirit of positivity in being recognized, valued, considerable etc. (Bolt, 2004). However, altruism knows some boundaries. The boundaries of this behavior are, for instance, when an act of altruism ends up compromising the welfare of a person or that of the subject. Some personal and professional responsibilities relate to altruism in that individuals are professionally and personally required to behave in a selfless way when it comes to devotion to fellow beings when appropriate (Batson, 2014). Any individual should be willing to neglect self-interests when it is necessary. Similarly, anyone who is in need of assistance should be helped without hesitation by anyone who is close or at such a capacity.
Altruism is a major factor when it comes to the future of psychology. A good future for psychology refers to a situation where there will be positivity, and there will be individuals willing to help others. The future world requires more altruistic psychologists and psychological professionals whom will be more involved in assisting their patients and clients through a successful recovery process. Without altruism, the future will not be there; people have to be of help to each other. If psychologists, for instance, pursue their self-interests, then the wellbeing of the clients and patients is left at nobody's mercies. The future of behavior needs altruism more than anything else. Psychology has a future which relies upon the way psychologists as well as any other psychological profession will act along with the altruistic notions and with the mission to deliver quality and authentic service before considering personal interests (Batson, 2014). Nonetheless, with modern day knowledge of altruism, the future is seemingly filled with altruism.
References
Batson, C. D. (2014). The altruism question: Toward a social-psychological answer. Psychology Press.
Bolt, M. (2004). Pursuing human strengths: A positive psychology guide. Macmillan.
