Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Helping behaviours. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
An assessment and comparison of genetic determinism and altruism in reference to helping and bystander behaviours, with specific reference to the Kitty Genovese case and other real life examples. Bibliography lists 10 sources
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLhelping.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
is that which is intended to help others - charitable works, fundraising, for example - and altruism is a form of helping behaviour which is not carried out for any
sort of personal gain. One could argue, from the philosophical point of view, that true altruism cannot exist; even if a helping act is carried out without any expectation of
material gain (such as a financial reward) the individual concerned is still benefiting from the act in some way - social approval, a feeling of self-satisfaction, the knowledge of having
acted rightly, and so on. In the more pragmatic sense, however, altruism is usually taken to mean the kind of behaviour which promotes the welfare
of others, rather than oneself. The individual might feel personal satisfaction from having helped others, but does not do so from an original motivation of self-interest, nor does he receive
any material reward for helping. Kruger (2003) comments on various motivations for helping which must be excluded for altruism to be assumed; these include relieving personal distress or avoiding public
criticism (Batson and Shaw, 1991) and relieving personal sadness (Batson et al, 1989). Egoism, on the other hand, sets the furthering of ones own interest as
a priority - this does not automatically mean, though, that ones actions will be unhelpful, simply that they are not motivated by altruism. It has been argued that altruism is
a biological trait which promotes the survival of the species: what appears to be altruistic behaviour has been observed in animals, although of course it is not possible to establish
what the animals actual motivation is for such behaviour. As noted by Wolftrust (2005), in many ways altruism would seem to run contrary to evolutionary
...