The Altruism Spiral: An Integrated Model for a Harmonious Future

Abstract

This chapter aims at providing a brief overview of the prominent conceptualisations of altruism, a construct widely debated from various theoretical perspectives, ranging from evolutionary biology to social psychology, philosophy and -more recentlypositive psychology, but still controversial in its defi nition and role in human affairs. Moving from the current scientifi c debate, as well as delving into Western and Eastern philosophical and spiritual traditions, we attempt to build an integrated approach to the study of altruism based on the view of a substantial interconnectedness among individuals, rather than on the juxtaposition between altruism and selfi shness. Within this model, altruism is defi ned as a general mind-set, characterised by a concern for others' welfare that implies a readiness to engage in other-oriented behaviours, bringing welfare to the agent as well. Altruism's behavioural outcomes, benefi ts and dangers, as well as the challenges people and communities face in cultivating and promoting an altruistic mind-set are briefl y outlined. Conceptualising Altruism: The State of the ArtWhat is altruism? This apparently simple question does not seem to have an indisputable answer. Altruism remains an elusive concept, even though it has been extensively explored within human sciences, such as philosophy, religion and ethics

Psychospiritual Basis of Altruism: A Review

“…Altruism is integral to human existence, development, and well-being (Nathan & Delle Fave, 2014). Altruism enables maintenance of peace (Oliner, Oliner, & Gruber, 1991) by reduction of likelihood of aggression (Miller & Eisenberg, 1988; Spielman & Staub, 2000 as cited in Nathan & Delle Fave, 2014), promoting forgiveness (McCullough, Tsang, & Emmons, 2004), reducing prejudices (Galinsky & Moskowitz, 2000), resolving conflicts (Batson et al, 2004 as cited in Nathan & Delle Fave, 2014), and by improving relationships and social connection (Moss & Barbuto, 2010). Altruism is deemed indispensable for ensuring environmental sustainability (Ricard, 2015).…”

“…Altruism could be understood from the perspective of interconnectedness—a worldview that perceives the self and other as interconnected and interdependent. In totality, altruism and altruistic deeds promote harmonious coexistence of individuals and communities (Nathan & Delle Fave, 2014).…”

“I didn’t just want a degree”: Students’ perceptions about benefits from participation in student leadership programmes

“…Considering both individual items and factors, it seems that contribution to the campus community, a sense of belonging, and peer interaction all scored highly in respondents' perceived benefits of participation in the leadership programmes. Research into altruistic behavior (Martela & Ryan, 2015) and research from the field of positive psychology (Anik, Aknin, Norton, & Dunn, 2009;Nathan & Delle Fave, 2014;Otake, Shimai, Tanaka-Matsumi, Otsui, & Fredrickson, 2006) suggest that all these forms of engagement contribute to people's overall well-being and life satisfaction. It would be interesting to speculate whether these research findings could inform recruitment campaigns to attract potential student leaders.…”