Personality Theory - Research Paper Example

Furthermore, one is more likely to help if they are the only person around who can be of help as such, one may bleed to death in an open street without anyone calling the police or trying to help, possibly assuming that someone else has already done it. However anyone finding someone in a lonely alley they will most probably help them. However circumstances notwithstanding, we are human by virtue of our humanity, ergo, we automatically empathize with those in distress and trying to help is a result of pure basic human instinct (Martin, 2012).

This, however, is deeply influenced, by the way, one is brought up, the examples that parents and other adults set for a growing child as far as reacting to those in distress will be a determining factor in how they will respond in posterity. Other motivation for helping each other include; to impress those around; in such a case, one will assist someone because others are watching and they want to look good. Alternatively, they could do so for speculative reasons assuming that if they help someone out of a situation, the person will respond in kind should they need help in the future. 2. Altruism is often used interchangeably with selflessness, and it is classified by social physiologists under pro-social behavior; this refers to actions benefiting other propel notwithstanding the motivation or the benefits accruing to the giver or doer.

Altruistic individuals are predisposed to helping others even if it means jeopardizing their life or wellbeing, people who display this trait are often considered heroes and heroines and indeed many of fiction characters and movies stars are endeared to audiences because of their readiness to assist others at the risk of their own lives. Genuine altruism exists despite the fact that many have set out to fabricate arguments directed at disputing the possibility of genuine altruism. Critics have argued that, those who are considered altruistic gain something from it and it can be argued that this benefit albeit covertly or sub- consciously spurs them in their actions.

This is by postulating that ; there can be no such thing as pure selflessness since people practice altruism for the sake of self-fulfillment, ergo selfishness (Burton, 2012). This argument is, however, illogical following the circular fallacy since it tries to support the selfishness of altruistic acts by the claim that they are performed for selfish reasons hence that must be the only motivation. As such,   altruistic acts cannot be written of simply because they carry an unavoidable element of self-interest whose absence or presence the individual may not even be aware.

For instance, if one risks diving in a lake to save a drowning child, one may not be aware of, for instance; a news reporter around who will capture the footage and have him/her hailed as a local hero. Following this reasoning, this perceived benefic cannot be assumed to be the motivation and on this reasoning real altruism does indeed exist. 3. The reciprocity theory holds that people are predisposed to reward kind actions and punish unkind ones; furthermore, the kindness of the action is judged not only on the outcome, but also on the underlying intention for it (Fiscbacher and Falk, 2000).

The social exchange theory, on the other hand, is different in that it takes a more businesslike approach to helping