Contrast Two Theories Explaining Altruism

691 Words3 Pages
Human Relationships Contrast two theories explaining altruism in humans Altruism refers to the performance of prosocial actions without expectations of benefit for oneself. Examples of altruistic behaviour may include giving donations, rescuing someone in danger, carrying a bag of groceries for an elderly etc. This essay will contrast two theories that explain altruism in humans: the kin selection theory, which is a biological explanation, and the empathy-altruism model, which is a cognitive explanation. The Kin Selection Theory predicts that the degree of altruism depends on the number of genes shared by the helper and the individual that is being helped; the closer the relationship, the greater the chance for altruistic behaviour. This is supported by many animal studies, where animals tend to help those that are related to them. Dawkins proposed the "selfish gene theory" which states that there is an innate drive for the survival and propagation of one's own genes. Organisms will try to make sure that their genes are passed on to the next generation. This may explain why mothers often protect their child and are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect them, whilst the vice versa is rare. However, this theory does not explain why some people work for charity or help strangers cross the road. It is also questionable whether animal behaviour can be generalized to human behaviour. Similarly, adoption does not benefit kin and thus cannot be explained by this theory. By contrast, the Empathy-Altruism Model does explain why people help others that are not family. The Empathy-Altruism Model, by Batson et al, is based on the idea that an emotional response of empathy is produced when another person is perceived to be in need. According to Batson, two emotional responses are experienced when we see someone in need. The first one is personal distress, where we feel
Open Document