Analyze the act of altruism
Altruism is the behavior designed to increase the welfare of another person. It involves particular actions that don’t seem to give a direct prize to the individual performing them. Based on Cutler and Campbell-Meiklejohn (2019) research, these kinds of behaviors tend to be reflexive, intuitive, and automatic. Notable examples of altruism occur when people donate blood, donate to charity, or help a stranded stranger.
The principle of reciprocity and social exchange gives a vivid explanation of why it always seems logical to help relatives and neglect those perceived as strangers. Reciprocal altruism concerns the idea that if people manage to help others today, they expect to receive the favor if they need their help in the future (Fromell, Nosenzo, & Owens, 2020). Therefore, providing support to others increases the chances of survival and reproductive success and helps others tend to increase their chances of survival. Based on the past evolution story, those who practice reciprocal altruism can reproduce more often than those who do not, thus making sure that this kind of generosity remains viable (Cutler & Campbell-Meiklejohn, 2019). Reciprocal altruism also involves people helping total strangers while keeping it in mind that doing so is vital. It may lead others to help them in the future, especially when help is most required.
Reciprocal altruism is also one notable example of the general principle of social exchange. In most cases, people use each other to gain rewards and help protect themselves from harm. Fromell, Nosenzo, and Owens (2020) adds that assisting acts to the sole benefit that one can [provide to others. This type of exchange is evidenced in scenarios such as when neighbors take good care of each other’s pets when one is away.
One of the concepts of social psychology to act altruism is the social responsibility norm. According to Cutler and Campbell-Meiklejohn (2019), this form of act altruism plays a significant role in letting people know they need assistance when the need arises, even without expecting something in return in return the future or a later date.
References
Fromell, H., Nosenzo, D., & Owens, T. (2020). Altruism, fast and slow? Evidence from a meta-analysis and a new experiment. Experimental Economics, 1-23.
Cutler, J., & Campbell-Meiklejohn, D. (2019). A comparative fMRI meta-analysis of altruistic and strategic decisions to give. Neuroimage, 184, 227-241.