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Charity Work Volunteering Donating Organs or Tissues Helping Strangers in Need Sacrificing Personal Time or Resources For Others

Altruism is defined as a selfless concern for the welfare of others, exemplified through actions like charity work and volunteering. The document discusses the genetic and neural foundations of empathy, highlighting specific genes and brain regions that influence empathetic behavior. It also introduces the empathy-altruism hypothesis, which posits that empathy motivates altruistic actions, distinguishing between cognitive and emotional empathy.

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26 views2 pages

Charity Work Volunteering Donating Organs or Tissues Helping Strangers in Need Sacrificing Personal Time or Resources For Others

Altruism is defined as a selfless concern for the welfare of others, exemplified through actions like charity work and volunteering. The document discusses the genetic and neural foundations of empathy, highlighting specific genes and brain regions that influence empathetic behavior. It also introduces the empathy-altruism hypothesis, which posits that empathy motivates altruistic actions, distinguishing between cognitive and emotional empathy.

Uploaded by

laibaliaquat1998
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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INTRODUCTION OF ALTRUISM :

 Definition:

Altruism is a selfless concern for the welfare of others, demonstrated through actions that prioritize
their needs over one’s own interests.

 Examples:

 Charity work

 Volunteering

 Donating organs or tissues

 Helping strangers in need

Sacrificing personal time or resources for others

Genetic And Neural Foundation Of Empathy :

Genetic Foundation of Empathy:

The genetic foundation of empathy refers to the inherited genetic variations that influence an
individual's ability to understand and share the feelings of others.

Components of genetic empathy

1. OXTR (oxytocin receptor) gene: associated with empathy, social behavior, and attachment

2. AVPR1A (vasopressin receptor 1A) gene: linked to social recognition, attachment, and
empathy.

3. COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) gene: influences emotional regulation, empathy, and


stress response.

4. Genetic variants in the serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) systems: impact emotional
processing, empathy, and social behavior.

Neural Foundation of Empathy:

The neural foundation of empathy refers to the brain regions, networks, and neurotransmitters
involved in processing and responding to emotional information.

Components of Neural empathy

1. Mirror Neuron System (MNS): simulates others' emotions and actions. - Inferior frontal
gyrus (IFG) - Premotor cortex - Primary motor cortex

2. Empathy Network: - Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) - Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) -
Insula - Temporoparietal junction (TPJ)

3. Emotional Regulation: - Amygdala - Prefrontal cortex (PFC) - Hippocampus


Cultivating Altruism:

 Cultivating altruism involves practicing empathy, kindness, and compassion in daily


integrations. Engage in acts of kindness, volunteer and actively listen others to foster a more
altruistic mind set.

 Cultivating altruism involves developing a genuine concern for the well-being of others and
actively seeking ways to contribute positively to their lives.

The Empathy –Altruism Hypothesis.

Empathy-Altruism-Hypothesis:
Proposed by social psychologist Daniel Batson, the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggests that
empathy plays a crucial role in motivating altruistic behavior. According to this hypothesis, when
individuals feel empathy towards someone in need, they are more likely to help, driven by an
altruistic desire to reduce the other person's distress or improve their well-being.

 Cognitive Empathy: Cognitive empathy, also known as "perspective-taking" or


"mentalizing," refers to the capacity to understand and grasp another person's thoughts, or
point of view without necessarily sharing their emotional state.

 Example: If you can recognize that someone is feeling sad or happy based on their facial
expressions, body language, or verbal cues, you are demonstrating cognitive empathy.

 Emotional Empathy: Emotional empathy involves sharing and mirroring the emotional
experiences of another person. It goes beyond understanding someone's emotions
intellectually and involves feeling similar emotions in response to another person's
emotional state.

 Example: If you feel a sense of joy or sadness in response to someone else's happiness or
sorrow, you are experiencing emotional-empathy.

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