Altruism

Altruism is behavior intended to benefit another person, often at a cost to oneself. It can be studied as a motive, an action, or an evolutionary outcome.

Kin selection: An evolutionary process in which traits spread because they benefit genetic relatives. Helping relatives can increase the survival of shared genes, even when helpers pay a cost.
Prosocial behavior: Behavior intended to benefit other people or society. Altruism is one possible form of prosocial behavior, distinguished by its relation to personal cost.
Blood donation: The voluntary provision of blood or blood components for medical use. It is a common example of giving that can benefit strangers at limited personal cost.
Egoism: The view that self-interest is the primary or proper basis for action. It contrasts with accounts that treat another person’s welfare as an end in itself.
Reciprocal altruism: Cooperation in which an individual helps another and may receive help in return later. Repeated exchanges can make costly helping advantageous over time.
Psychological egoism: The theory that people are ultimately motivated only by their own perceived interests. It challenges whether apparently selfless actions can be genuinely altruistic.
Organ donation: The transfer of an organ or tissue from a donor for transplantation. Living donation can impose substantial risks while directly benefiting another person.
Mutualism: An interaction in which participants each gain direct benefits. Mutual benefit differs from altruism when the helper receives an immediate return.
Empathy-altruism hypothesis: A psychological theory that empathic concern can produce helping motivated by another person’s welfare. It explains altruism through concern for another rather than anticipated personal benefit.
Evolutionary fitness: An organism’s contribution to future generations, measured through survival and reproduction. Evolutionary accounts distinguish personal costs from effects on genetic success.

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