Altruistic Behavior: An Inquiry into Motivation

Altruistic Behavior: An Inquiry into Motivation

Author: Paul S. Penner

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2021-11-15

Total Pages: 165

ISBN-13: 9004495975

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This book is an inquiry into the motivation for altruistic behavior. It uncovers the condition that prompts or sometimes even compels us to act intentionally for the benefit of others. This condition, the pre-reflective experience of another person as a self-conscious individual just like oneself, finds its origin in the very structure of the mind. The essay is a synthesis of evidence from neuroscience, phenomenology, Eastern philosophy, analytic philosophy of mind, and cognitive psychology. Hence, it is an excellent example of work in applied cognitive science. The book includes a critique of the several main approaches to the explanation of the motivation for altruistic behavior: biological, psychological, and philosophical. The path of the main inquiry produces several innovative proposals in the philosophy of mind in addition to the main conclusion. Included in these are a detailed account of the structure of the human mind, an ontological categorization of mental states, a naturalistic explanation of so-called mystical states, a proposal for the role of consciousness in the downward causation of physical events, a new interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine of no-self and a unique view of the nature of love.


Book Synopsis Altruistic Behavior: An Inquiry into Motivation by : Paul S. Penner

Download or read book Altruistic Behavior: An Inquiry into Motivation written by Paul S. Penner and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2021-11-15 with total page 165 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an inquiry into the motivation for altruistic behavior. It uncovers the condition that prompts or sometimes even compels us to act intentionally for the benefit of others. This condition, the pre-reflective experience of another person as a self-conscious individual just like oneself, finds its origin in the very structure of the mind. The essay is a synthesis of evidence from neuroscience, phenomenology, Eastern philosophy, analytic philosophy of mind, and cognitive psychology. Hence, it is an excellent example of work in applied cognitive science. The book includes a critique of the several main approaches to the explanation of the motivation for altruistic behavior: biological, psychological, and philosophical. The path of the main inquiry produces several innovative proposals in the philosophy of mind in addition to the main conclusion. Included in these are a detailed account of the structure of the human mind, an ontological categorization of mental states, a naturalistic explanation of so-called mystical states, a proposal for the role of consciousness in the downward causation of physical events, a new interpretation of the Buddhist doctrine of no-self and a unique view of the nature of love.

Development and Maintenance of Prosocial Behavior

Development and Maintenance of Prosocial Behavior

Author: Ervin Staub

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-09

Total Pages: 519

ISBN-13: 1461326451

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This book was inspired by an intimate, stimulating, intellectually enrich ing conference that took place in Poland. However, the book is not a conference report. Rather, at the time of the conference, participants agreed that it would be worthwhile to create a volume representing the international state of knowledge in pro social behavior, and many of them agreed to write chapters. This volume is the outcome. The book contains chapters by outstanding researchers and scholars who have made substantial contributions to some aspect of scholarship about pro social behavior-helpfulness, generosity, kindness, coopera tion, or other behavior that benefits people. The book concerns itself with how prosocial behavior comes about and what influences contrib ute to or inhibit it; how prosocial behavior, or values and other personal characteristics that promote prosocial behavior, develop; how socializa tion, peer interaction, and other experiences contribute to development; and with the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of re ceiving help. Some chapters directly, and a number of them implicitly, concern themselves with applications of knowledge about prosocial be havior, particularly with the question of how cooperation and behavior that benefits other people can be promoted. The purpose of the book is. in part to show where the field stands and what knowledge we have accumulated, and in part to suggest fu ture directions and advance the field. It is a truly international book, with contributors from most countries where research on pro social be havior is being conducted.


Book Synopsis Development and Maintenance of Prosocial Behavior by : Ervin Staub

Download or read book Development and Maintenance of Prosocial Behavior written by Ervin Staub and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-09 with total page 519 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was inspired by an intimate, stimulating, intellectually enrich ing conference that took place in Poland. However, the book is not a conference report. Rather, at the time of the conference, participants agreed that it would be worthwhile to create a volume representing the international state of knowledge in pro social behavior, and many of them agreed to write chapters. This volume is the outcome. The book contains chapters by outstanding researchers and scholars who have made substantial contributions to some aspect of scholarship about pro social behavior-helpfulness, generosity, kindness, coopera tion, or other behavior that benefits people. The book concerns itself with how prosocial behavior comes about and what influences contrib ute to or inhibit it; how prosocial behavior, or values and other personal characteristics that promote prosocial behavior, develop; how socializa tion, peer interaction, and other experiences contribute to development; and with the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences of re ceiving help. Some chapters directly, and a number of them implicitly, concern themselves with applications of knowledge about prosocial be havior, particularly with the question of how cooperation and behavior that benefits other people can be promoted. The purpose of the book is. in part to show where the field stands and what knowledge we have accumulated, and in part to suggest fu ture directions and advance the field. It is a truly international book, with contributors from most countries where research on pro social be havior is being conducted.

Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity

Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity

Author: Serge-Christophe Kolm

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2006-07-19

Total Pages: 752

ISBN-13: 0080478263

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The Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism provides a comprehensive set of reviews of literature on the economics of nonmarket voluntary transfers. The foundations of the field are reviewed first, with a sequence of chapters that present the hard core of the theoretical and empirical analyses of giving, reciprocity and altruism in economics, examining their relations with the viewpoints of moral philosophy, psychology, sociobiology, sociology and economic anthropology. Secondly, a comprehensive set of applications are considered of all the aspects of society where nonmarket voluntary transfers are significant: family and intergenerational transfers; charity and charitable institutions; the nonprofit economy; interpersonal relations in the workplace; the Welfare State; and international aid. *Every volume contains contributions from leading researchers *Each Handbook presents an accurate, self-contained survey of a particular topic *The series provides comprehensive and accessible surveys


Book Synopsis Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity by : Serge-Christophe Kolm

Download or read book Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity written by Serge-Christophe Kolm and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2006-07-19 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism provides a comprehensive set of reviews of literature on the economics of nonmarket voluntary transfers. The foundations of the field are reviewed first, with a sequence of chapters that present the hard core of the theoretical and empirical analyses of giving, reciprocity and altruism in economics, examining their relations with the viewpoints of moral philosophy, psychology, sociobiology, sociology and economic anthropology. Secondly, a comprehensive set of applications are considered of all the aspects of society where nonmarket voluntary transfers are significant: family and intergenerational transfers; charity and charitable institutions; the nonprofit economy; interpersonal relations in the workplace; the Welfare State; and international aid. *Every volume contains contributions from leading researchers *Each Handbook presents an accurate, self-contained survey of a particular topic *The series provides comprehensive and accessible surveys

Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology

Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology

Author: M. Babula

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2013-11-19

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1137031298

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Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology takes up the debate around altruism and the acceptance in society that self-interest is a healthy guiding principle in life, and argues that helping behaviour can lead to self-fulfilment and happiness and is beneficial to psychological health and society in general.


Book Synopsis Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology by : M. Babula

Download or read book Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology written by M. Babula and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Motivation, Altruism, Personality and Social Psychology takes up the debate around altruism and the acceptance in society that self-interest is a healthy guiding principle in life, and argues that helping behaviour can lead to self-fulfilment and happiness and is beneficial to psychological health and society in general.

A Scientific Search for Altruism

A Scientific Search for Altruism

Author: C. Daniel Batson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-10-19

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 0190651385

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For centuries, the egoism-altruism debate has echoed through Western thought. Egoism says that the motivation for everything we do, including our seemingly selfless acts of care for others, is to gain one or another self-benefit. Altruism, while not denying the force of self-interest, says that under certain circumstances we can care for others for their sakes, not our own. Over the past half-century, social psychologists have turned to laboratory experiments on humans to provide a scientific resolution of this debate about our nature. The experiments have focused on the possibility that empathic concern-other-oriented emotion elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone in need-produces altruistic motivation to remove that need. With carefully constructed experimental designs, these scientists have tested the nature of the motivation produced by empathic concern, determining whether it is egoistic or altruistic and, thereby, providing an answer to a fundamental question about what makes us tick. Framed as a detective story, this book traces the scientific search for altruism through numerous studies and attempts to examine various motivational suspects, reaching the improbable conclusion that empathy-induced altruism is indeed part of our nature. The book then considers the implications of this conclusion both for our understanding of who we are as humans (the bad news as well as the good) and for how we might create a more humane society.


Book Synopsis A Scientific Search for Altruism by : C. Daniel Batson

Download or read book A Scientific Search for Altruism written by C. Daniel Batson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-10-19 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For centuries, the egoism-altruism debate has echoed through Western thought. Egoism says that the motivation for everything we do, including our seemingly selfless acts of care for others, is to gain one or another self-benefit. Altruism, while not denying the force of self-interest, says that under certain circumstances we can care for others for their sakes, not our own. Over the past half-century, social psychologists have turned to laboratory experiments on humans to provide a scientific resolution of this debate about our nature. The experiments have focused on the possibility that empathic concern-other-oriented emotion elicited by and congruent with the perceived welfare of someone in need-produces altruistic motivation to remove that need. With carefully constructed experimental designs, these scientists have tested the nature of the motivation produced by empathic concern, determining whether it is egoistic or altruistic and, thereby, providing an answer to a fundamental question about what makes us tick. Framed as a detective story, this book traces the scientific search for altruism through numerous studies and attempts to examine various motivational suspects, reaching the improbable conclusion that empathy-induced altruism is indeed part of our nature. The book then considers the implications of this conclusion both for our understanding of who we are as humans (the bad news as well as the good) and for how we might create a more humane society.

Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective

Author: Douglas A. Vakoch

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-05-16

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 146146952X

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Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective provides such a scholarly overview, examining the intersection of culture and such topics as evolutionary accounts of altruism and the importance of altruism in ritual and religion. ​​The past decade has seen a proliferation of research on altruism, made possible in part by significant funding from organizations such as the John Templeton Foundation. While significant research has been conducted on biological, social, and individual dimensions of altruism, there has been no attempt to provide an overview of the ways that altruistic behavior and attitudes vary across cultures. The book addresses the methodological challenges of researching altruism across cultures, as well as the ways that altruism is manifest in difficult circumstances. A particular strength of the book is its attention to multiple disciplinary approaches to understanding altruism, with contributors from fields including psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, communication, philosophy, religious studies, gender studies, and bioethics.​


Book Synopsis Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective by : Douglas A. Vakoch

Download or read book Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective written by Douglas A. Vakoch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-05-16 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Altruism in Cross-Cultural Perspective provides such a scholarly overview, examining the intersection of culture and such topics as evolutionary accounts of altruism and the importance of altruism in ritual and religion. ​​The past decade has seen a proliferation of research on altruism, made possible in part by significant funding from organizations such as the John Templeton Foundation. While significant research has been conducted on biological, social, and individual dimensions of altruism, there has been no attempt to provide an overview of the ways that altruistic behavior and attitudes vary across cultures. The book addresses the methodological challenges of researching altruism across cultures, as well as the ways that altruism is manifest in difficult circumstances. A particular strength of the book is its attention to multiple disciplinary approaches to understanding altruism, with contributors from fields including psychology, anthropology, sociology, biology, communication, philosophy, religious studies, gender studies, and bioethics.​

Altruism in Humans

Altruism in Humans

Author: Charles Daniel Batson

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0195341066

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Authored by the world's leading scholar on altruism, and based on decades of research, this landmark work is an authoritative scholarly resource on the theory surrounding altruism and its potential contribution to better interpersonal relations and a greater society. --Book Jacket.


Book Synopsis Altruism in Humans by : Charles Daniel Batson

Download or read book Altruism in Humans written by Charles Daniel Batson and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2011 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Authored by the world's leading scholar on altruism, and based on decades of research, this landmark work is an authoritative scholarly resource on the theory surrounding altruism and its potential contribution to better interpersonal relations and a greater society. --Book Jacket.

Altruism in Humans

Altruism in Humans

Author: C. Daniel Batson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2010-12-31

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 0199712433

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One of the "Best Books of 2011" from the Center for Optimal Adult Development We send money to help famine victims halfway around the world. We campaign to save whales and oceans. We stay up all night to comfort a friend with a broken relationship. People will at times risk -- even lose -- their lives for others, including strangers. Why do we do these things? What motivates such behavior? Altruism in Humans takes a hard-science look at the possibility that we humans have the capacity to care for others for their sakes rather than simply for our own. Based on an extensive series of theory-testing laboratory experiments conducted over the past 35 years, this book details a theory of altruistic motivation, offers a comprehensive summary of the research designed to test the empathy-altruism hypothesis, and considers the theoretical and practical implications of this conclusion. Authored by the world's preeminent scholar on altruism, this landmark work is an authoritative scholarly resource on the theory surrounding altruism and its potential contribution to better interpersonal relations and a better society.


Book Synopsis Altruism in Humans by : C. Daniel Batson

Download or read book Altruism in Humans written by C. Daniel Batson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-31 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the "Best Books of 2011" from the Center for Optimal Adult Development We send money to help famine victims halfway around the world. We campaign to save whales and oceans. We stay up all night to comfort a friend with a broken relationship. People will at times risk -- even lose -- their lives for others, including strangers. Why do we do these things? What motivates such behavior? Altruism in Humans takes a hard-science look at the possibility that we humans have the capacity to care for others for their sakes rather than simply for our own. Based on an extensive series of theory-testing laboratory experiments conducted over the past 35 years, this book details a theory of altruistic motivation, offers a comprehensive summary of the research designed to test the empathy-altruism hypothesis, and considers the theoretical and practical implications of this conclusion. Authored by the world's preeminent scholar on altruism, this landmark work is an authoritative scholarly resource on the theory surrounding altruism and its potential contribution to better interpersonal relations and a better society.

The Changing Face of Globalization

The Changing Face of Globalization

Author: Samir Dasgupta

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 2004-12-08

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9780761932901

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Evaluating the impact of globalization on issues like altruism, empowerment of women, crime and violence, culture, area studies, economy and production, and the sociology of humanity, this book makes the ethical and moral aspects of globalization its main concerns. The complexities of the globalization process in the developing world are explored - the debate between globalization and localization; between indigenization and hybridization; between equalization and inequalization. The contributors also examines the consequences for transitional economies in their interactions with multinational corporations and the rise of the anti-globalization movement in the past decade.


Book Synopsis The Changing Face of Globalization by : Samir Dasgupta

Download or read book The Changing Face of Globalization written by Samir Dasgupta and published by SAGE. This book was released on 2004-12-08 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Evaluating the impact of globalization on issues like altruism, empowerment of women, crime and violence, culture, area studies, economy and production, and the sociology of humanity, this book makes the ethical and moral aspects of globalization its main concerns. The complexities of the globalization process in the developing world are explored - the debate between globalization and localization; between indigenization and hybridization; between equalization and inequalization. The contributors also examines the consequences for transitional economies in their interactions with multinational corporations and the rise of the anti-globalization movement in the past decade.

Moving Beyond Self-Interest

Moving Beyond Self-Interest

Author: Stephanie L. Brown

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-10-26

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0195388100

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Moving Beyond Self-Interest is an interdisciplinary volume that discusses cutting-edge developments in the science of caring for and helping others. In Part I, contributors raise foundational issues related to human caregiving. They present new theories and data to show how natural selection might have shaped a genuinely altruistic drive to benefit others, how this drive intersects with the attachment and caregiving systems, and how it emerges from a broader social engagement system made possible by symbiotic regulation of autonomic physiological states. In Part II, contributors propose a new neurophysiological model of the human caregiving system and present arguments and evidence to show how mammalian neural circuitry that supports parenting might be recruited to direct human cooperation and competition, human empathy, and parental and romantic love. Part III is devoted to the psychology of human caregiving. Some contributors in this section show how an evolutionary perspective helps us better understand parental investment in and empathic concern for children at risk for, or suffering from, various health, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Other contributors identify circumstances that differentially predict caregiver benefits and costs, and raise the question of whether extreme levels of compassion are actually pathological. The section concludes with a discussion of semantic and conceptual obstacles to the scientific investigation of caregiving. Part IV focuses on possible interfaces between new models of caregiving motivation and economics, political science, and social policy development. In this section, contributors show how the new theory and research discussed in this volume can inform our understanding of economic utility, policies for delivering social services (such as health care and education), and hypotheses concerning the origins and development of human society, including some of its more problematic features of nationalism, conflict, and war. The chapters in this volume help readers appreciate the human capacity for engaging in altruistic acts, on both a small and large scale.


Book Synopsis Moving Beyond Self-Interest by : Stephanie L. Brown

Download or read book Moving Beyond Self-Interest written by Stephanie L. Brown and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-26 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Moving Beyond Self-Interest is an interdisciplinary volume that discusses cutting-edge developments in the science of caring for and helping others. In Part I, contributors raise foundational issues related to human caregiving. They present new theories and data to show how natural selection might have shaped a genuinely altruistic drive to benefit others, how this drive intersects with the attachment and caregiving systems, and how it emerges from a broader social engagement system made possible by symbiotic regulation of autonomic physiological states. In Part II, contributors propose a new neurophysiological model of the human caregiving system and present arguments and evidence to show how mammalian neural circuitry that supports parenting might be recruited to direct human cooperation and competition, human empathy, and parental and romantic love. Part III is devoted to the psychology of human caregiving. Some contributors in this section show how an evolutionary perspective helps us better understand parental investment in and empathic concern for children at risk for, or suffering from, various health, behavioral, and cognitive problems. Other contributors identify circumstances that differentially predict caregiver benefits and costs, and raise the question of whether extreme levels of compassion are actually pathological. The section concludes with a discussion of semantic and conceptual obstacles to the scientific investigation of caregiving. Part IV focuses on possible interfaces between new models of caregiving motivation and economics, political science, and social policy development. In this section, contributors show how the new theory and research discussed in this volume can inform our understanding of economic utility, policies for delivering social services (such as health care and education), and hypotheses concerning the origins and development of human society, including some of its more problematic features of nationalism, conflict, and war. The chapters in this volume help readers appreciate the human capacity for engaging in altruistic acts, on both a small and large scale.