Her altruistic behaviour is a stereotype nurturant altruism. The volunteer's family has been a role model for her and encouraged her involvement in volunteering services. She claims her motivation for involvement in the 'worthwhile activity' is her good health and part of her purpose for living. A small proportion of personal benefits derived from volunteering have sustained her commitment. Discussion Altruism is an ethical concept that describes behaviours aimed at furthering pleasure and alleviating pains of other people without self interest. To uphold the well being of others is an end in itself (Oung, 2003).
There are several problems with this definition which have been pointed out in the 'sociological paradigm'. In order to explore this idea interview was conducted with a woman who has been involved in 'helping behaviour' for nearly sixteen years. I have been a volunteer for nearly thirteen years. Both our experiences will attempt to answer why we behave altruistically or what motivate us to behave in this manner and its relevance in society today. Initially, I became a volunteer because of media glamour. I was involved in acting and to become more popular I chose to be involved in fund raising activities and hosting shows with no monetary benefits.
This proposes the 'good image motive'. The cameras clicking, the bright lights and seeing myself and my altruistic acts mentioned in paper raised my self-esteem. But truly I was not involved in the altruistic acts with a genuine desire. I had personal benefit being 'popular' was my motivation for my helping behaviour. There is another motivating factor which was drilled by my parents 'Karma' and 'Dharma'- the essence of Hinduism. A good deed determines a person's birth in the next life. In a way, though I have also done a good deed - helping others, I have killed two birds with one stone.
My interviewee's involvement in volunteering is what most of retirees would like to do, occupy themselves with a worthwhile activity to keep them healthy physically and mentally (Response from interviewee - RFI). Both of us had different reasons but we followed the cultural rules governing our roles - 'actress' and 'retiree'. I was involved in volunteering for a personal benefit. Once I reached heights of popularity I developed a genuine liking for my volunteer role. I had an opportunity to work with children and women in a family service centre. Both had a lot of issues to be dealt with because of their family violence.
I came from a reasonably stable family so I felt it was my duty to help someone in need. Their happiness was motivating me to a large extent and my altruistic act proposes the hypothesis of Batson's empathy - altruism model. This theory believes that ' when people feel empathy they become motivated to act , with the ultimate goal of helping the person for who empathy is felt' (Moghaddam, 1998, p. 306). In my interviewee's case she felt compassion with her volunteer work and she even extended her help to do research on meals for different ethnic groups (RFI).
Both our experiences suggests that there is more to helping others than just empathy. No doubt our volunteering was based on empathy and it was coupled with 'shared humanity'. According to philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum, she wishes that Batson replaced the word 'empathy' with 'compassion' (Post, 2002). The word empathy is the 'imaginative reconstruction of another person's experience, without any particular evaluation of that experience' (Post, 2002, p. 2). In relation to this I could relate to an advertisement by UNICEF - a lady talking about her donating money for a boy's education.
Her contribution was also utilised to give good drinking water to the whole village. Her empathy alone is not sufficient to cause altruism; an increased understanding of humanitarian need suggests her behaviour. There is another theory suggest that altruism is innate. Such as that of parent towards child (http://www. theunityofknowledge. org/the_evolution_of_altruism/introduction. htm, 2003).
This theory believes that we choose to help someone because we are of the same kind, known as 'kin selection' or because someone is in greater need (http://www. theunityofknowledge.org/the_evolution_of_altruism/introduction. htm, 2003). My interviewee helps to deliver meals, makes 'trauma teddies' and facilitates events for her ethnic group (RFI). I have also been a probation officer, organised story telling activities for children, and organised tuition programmes and financial assistance for an ashram of people with leprosy.
With regards to both our experiences, how could one gauge who needs more help. Similarly on a plane, normally the stewardess gives a usual five minute presentation on safety. I am thinking about the implications of her words, which I have heard hundreds of times.
The implication is that if the oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, it is human nature - immediate instinctive behaviour, to assist our companions with their masks before we do ours. Such altruism in the face of danger reveals compassion, in a moment of risk to ourselves. Acts of altruism are easier to study than feelings of compassion. To understand or interpret how one feels we must rely on what we are told, while altruistic acts take place, in a sense, before our eyes. In order to understand why people are altruistic, we have to try to understand the culture of the people (Moghddam, 1998).
Culture teaches us when it is appropriate to seek and offer help. In some cultures, service to others is justification for a person's existence and others encourage self sacrifice as being good. I chose my path in helping profession because I want to become a part of humanity. My gradual transition in the volunteering field made me realise that showing kindness to others is a cardinal virtue of my religion and of humanity. My interviewee's engagement in the 'worthwhile activity' seems to be genuine love for a number of people in need. Conclusion In conclusion, volunteering is an act of altruism.
Such helping behaviour motivated by personal benefit or gain, genuine love, compassion, empathy and instinct tends to improve our ability to get along with others in the world. The world would be a better place to live in if everyone worked for the benefit of others. Therefore 'altruism' is beautiful. It is a beautiful idea, that inspires us when other people act on it, and makes us feel very good about ourselves when we act upon it.
Bibliography: http://essaysamurai.co.uk/eyewitness-auschwitz/
