The spectrum between selfishness and altruism in human behavior

Ego

Human beings are capable of both incredibly selfish and amazingly altruistic acts. In fact, sometimes it may be impossible to distinguish between selfishness and altruism because much altruism is motivated by selfish goals like fame, respect, or recognition. Instances of ethical egoism aside, there are certainly examples of persons who do have a saintly demeanor, and who seem psychologically conditioned toward absolute altruism. On the other end of the spectrum are the sociopaths, who seem psychologically conditioned toward absolute egoism or in some cases, something worse: complete misanthropy.

Therefore, the human condition seems to allow for a gamut of behaviors and psychological makeups. Most individuals would reside somewhere in the middle of a continuum between sociopath and saint. Many act selfishly throughout most of their daily behaviors, thinking first of themselves and their immediate family members and only then turning their attention toward humanity at large. Bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility are terms used to describe the complexity of human egoism. In some situations, human beings stand by while others are injured or hurt, expecting that someone else will come to the victim's rescue. Reasons for not intervening are generally going to be egotistical in nature, such as fear for one's own safety, embarrassment, or being personally inconvenienced. When people donate money to a charity, they are often motivated by guilt and other egotistical emotions rather than a genuine desire to help. For example, commercials depicting sad hungry children in Africa will tug on the heartstrings, making the wealthy person with a television and Internet feel guilty with their possessions while others suffer. In some cases, religion is also used in commercials like these to suggest that the person is not being "Christian" enough if they do not give money to the charity. Fearing for one's soul or wanting to do things that create belonging in a social organization are not altruistic motives. Thus, not all behavior that appears altruistic is actually that selfless in nature.

When people make self-sacrifices for no reason at all, those behaviors do tend to be more altruistic. For example, there are people who would not fall pray to the bystander effect and who would stop whatever they were doing to help a person in need. There are people who would leap into an ocean to save a drowning person. Some of the acts that appear altruistic actually are, because human beings are capable of setting aside desires for personal gain in order to help others or create joy in the lives of others. Even when the person's altruistic behaviors earn an income, the income does not necessarily mean the person is egotistical. Everyone needs to eat and have a place to live; earning money is not necessarily egotistical or selfish. What is selfish is hoarding money or not sharing it with people who need it.