An altruist is the highest degree of an egoist or its complete opposite. Who is Altruist

The concept of altruism is closely connected with kindness and love for all mankind. People sincerely admire those who are ready to devote their lives to selfless service to others and reveal their best qualities of character in interaction with others. Who is an altruist? Obviously, someone who knows how to take care just like that, without demanding or expecting anything from the opponent in return. This article offers a detailed understanding of this issue.

The essence of the concept

What is an altruist? What should such a person be like? personality traits and individual characteristics? First of all, of course, he has a generosity of heart, a fine spiritual organization. He is distinguished by a high desire to provide all possible assistance to other people, to participate in their lives.

Unlike the egoist, the altruist is not concerned at all with the question of individual success. It cannot be said that this person does not care about his own well-being, he simply finds special pleasure and satisfaction in the fact that he disinterestedly gives his warmth, care to others without the intention of receiving something in return. In fact, there are very few such people. After all, basically each of us is concerned about personal benefits.

Expression form

Who is an altruist? How can you understand that you have a typical representative in front of you? Such a person, as a rule, behaves more than modestly in communication: he does not seek to talk much about himself, he is often embarrassed and shy. His interest in the life of those around him is sincere, genuine. If he makes promises, he always fulfills them, regardless of whether it is convenient for him or not. No one can accuse a person of an altruistic temperament of being inattentive to people. Such a person will never set up, will not betray. If next to you is sparks and self-sufficient person know that you are very lucky.

Good and creation

Who is an altruist? At its core, this is a person whose life has a broad focus on being as useful as possible. With their best qualities character such a person can serve a large number people: help them overcome significant difficulties, make the right choice. Constant creation is an essential characteristic of altruistic consciousness. It is unacceptable for him not only to offend the interlocutor, but even to cause him some minor inconvenience, to upset him.

Altruistic mood implies a conscious desire for charity. Selfless dedication very soon makes such people famous in their circle of friends: they are turned to for help, their advice is asked and appreciated. Sometimes, however, there are those who want to take advantage of this complacency and generosity. An altruist is least of all prone to suspicion, absolutely not protected from deception and losses.

The opposite of an altruist is an egoist. Such a person, as you know, is only able to take care of his own well-being. She is completely uninterested and unmoved by the needs of other people. An egoist will never be completely happy, because his consciousness is limited: he does not know how to give, but only wants to receive.

Strive to see the best in everything

An altruist is distinguished by a persistent love of life, a belief in the disinterestedness of other people. Even if those around him do not at all justify his hopes and expectations, he continues to accomplish his daily feat: to do everything possible to be useful to relatives, relatives and just people with whom he is well acquainted. Sometimes even the fate of an outsider can interest him more than his own. The desire to see the best in everything helps him survive failures and significant hardships of fate.

We hope that this article clearly and completely answers the question of who an altruist is, and emphasizes its main features.

Hello dear readers! More and more people think about moral values, his behavior, the vision of others around him. From these reflections comes the question: who is an altruist? A person who sacrifices himself for others. What can such behavior lead to, and how to find the ideal balance of altruistic and egoistic qualities in oneself.

What can altruism lead to?

Selfless waste of oneself for the sake of others is not such grace as it might seem at first glance. Let me give you an example of one of my clients. She is a person who always tries to do well for everyone around, regardless of her desires and condition.

When she became very ill, her husband asked him to go to the store for a "beer". On the street, the woman felt dizzy and fainted. Fortunately, kind passers-by sat her on a bench, helped her come to her senses, gave her water to drink. The woman nevertheless sent for beer for her husband. At work, colleagues constantly dump their duties on her, go home early, and she sits until the victory until she does all her work and the work of others.

What does her behavior mean? She's to the detriment own desires, and sometimes health, tries to do good to others. As a result, a woman came to me in a terrible physical and emotional state. She was completely devastated, constantly stressed, did not see any purpose in life and did not understand who was simply taking advantage of her kindness.

Altruistic traits are characteristic of people who possess, and through helping others they try to make themselves better. But in the pursuit of imaginary happiness, people can go so far that they can no longer get out on their own.

Altruism is often contrasted with selfishness. But is there such a big difference between them?

What is the difference between selfishness and altruism?

How many examples do you know famous people altruists? No. Why? Because the concept of altruism is selflessness. This means that a true altruist will not brag about his good deeds. He will not ask for rewards for his behavior, he will not wait for honors, fame and approval from others.

But the trouble is, many people under altruism hide the desire to please people, to be a worthy and decent member of society, to seem highly moral. All this has nothing to do with selflessness and real help to others.

Egoism, in my opinion, is a little more honest in this respect than altruism. A selfish person is always visible, he does not hide it, honestly and directly says that he puts his desires and principles above others.

The true reason for the altruist's behavior is not always clear. Although many so-called altruists get real pleasure from helping.

An altruist is a person who does not always understand the true motives of his behavior. This means that in doing so, he hopes for one result, but in the end it turns out the other way around.

Golden mean

In the matter of altruism and egoism, it is very important to find a golden mean for yourself. Healthy relationships between people are that everyone benefits from communication. Altruism and egoism can be qualities of one person at the same time, but they are in such a balance that allows a person not to do bad things to others and confidently go towards his goals.

You should not think that selfless help to others is an exceptional good, and the desire to achieve one's own is an inhuman evil. If you find a boundary where you are at peace with others and with yourself, then you can live a happy and free life.

By submitting yourself to the desires of others, you lose your life, you do not work for yourself, you become a slave. It is good and useful to show selfless help, but only in the right and healthy way.

If you feel an imbalance in yourself, others constantly take advantage of you and you can’t get out of this vicious circle, then contact a psychologist. It will help you define the boundaries of really helping others and hurting yourself. He will tell you how you can correct the situation and find the very middle ground that will allow you to build healthy relationships with others and confidently achieve your goals.

I think the following articles may be useful to you: "" and "".

In addition, if you are not so well versed in concepts, then be sure to read the book by Pavel Simonov " About Altruists and Egoists”, there you can find a lot of useful and interesting information.

Remember balance!

Altruism

The concept of altruism was introduced by the French philosopher and founder of sociology Auguste Comte. He characterizes with it the disinterested motives of a person, entailing actions for the benefit of other people. According to Comte, the principle of altruism is: "Live for others." According to O. Comte, altruism is the opposite, antonymous to egoism, and implies such behavior and activity of a person with which he brings other people more benefit than requires them to apply any costs.

The opposition to this understanding of altruism is Charlie L. Hardy, Mark van Vugt, David Miller and David Kelly, who in their research showed that altruism and altruistic behavior are not associated with direct benefits, or with combinations of various benefits, but ultimately, in the long term. in the long run create more benefits than were expended on altruistic actions.

The belief that people should help those in need, regardless of possible future benefits, is the norm of social responsibility. It is this norm that encourages people, for example, to pick up a book that has been dropped by a person on crutches. Experiments show that even when helpers remain unknown and do not expect any gratitude, they often help people in need.

Those who love always seek to help their beloved. However, an intuitive, unconscious desire to help does not necessarily have to be related to human being with whom you have a bond of love or friendship. On the contrary, the altruistic desire to help a complete stranger has long been considered evidence of a particularly refined nobility. Such disinterested impulses of altruism are highly valued in our society and even, according to experts, they themselves carry a moral reward for the troubles caused to us.

“No matter how selfish a person may seem, certain laws are clearly laid down in his nature, forcing him to be interested in the fate of others and consider their happiness necessary for himself, although he himself does not receive anything from this, except for the pleasure of seeing this happiness.”

The main types, forms and practices of altruism

Moral and normative altruism

The moral, moral side of altruism can be comprehended through the moral imperative of I. Kant. Internalized by a person, this or that understanding of morality can become such an intrapersonal formation as conscience, based on which, and not from striving for certain benefits, a person will act. Thus, moral/moral altruism consists in acting in accordance with one's own conscience.

Another form, or one understanding of moral altruism, is its comprehension within the framework of ideas about justice or justice, social institutions which are widespread in Western societies. Within the framework of ideas about justice, a person is seen as often ready to disinterestedly act for the truth and its triumph in the world of social relationships, as well as against various kinds of injustice.

Acting in compliance with commitments (one makes to oneself or another) and expectations (others have for one) are sometimes seen as a degree of altruism. At the same time, such actions can often turn out to be actions of calculation.

Altruism out of sympathy and empathy

Altruism can be associated with various kinds of social experiences, in particular with sympathy, empathy for another, mercy and goodwill. Altruists, whose benevolence extends beyond family, neighborly, friendly relations, as well as relations with acquaintances, are also called philanthropists, and their activities are called philanthropy.

In addition to goodwill and compassion, altruistic actions are often done out of affection (to something/someone) or general gratitude for life.

Rational altruism

Rational altruism is balancing (as well as an attempt to comprehend it) between one's own interests and the interests of another person and other people.

There are several directions of rationalization of altruism:

Social psychology of altruism and altruistic behavior

With the development of empirical psychological research, such fuzzy concepts as altruism, utility, are gradually being replaced by the more common term "prosocial behavior".

There are gender differences in altruistic behavior: women tend to show more long-term prosocial behavior (such as caring for loved ones). For a man, unique "feats" (for example, in a fire) are more likely, in which specific social norms are often violated.

There are also studies in evolutionary psychology showing that humans survive through cooperation and normal reciprocity. As Herbert Simon put it, pro-social behavior has an advantage in a situation of natural selection/evolution, and in a sense, altruism can be seen as a genetically programmed human program.

According to socio-psychological studies of altruistic behavior, an important role is played by a person's personal responsibility. Making decisions requires taking responsibility for those decisions. If a decision is made by a group of people, then the responsibility for it is distributed among the members of the group, reducing the personal responsibility of each of them. As Dmitry Alekseevich Leontiev writes, referring to the research of social psychologists described in the book by Lee Ross (English) Russian and Richard Nisbett (English) Russian : “if something happened, if you feel bad, you need help, and people are walking around without stopping, you can’t just call for help, without turning to anyone. Choose any person, look at him and contact him personally and the likelihood that they will come to your aid will increase several times.

Other varieties

AT general concept altruism, there are separate sub-concepts that describe some specific types of altruism. For example:

Notes

1. Solovyov. V. S. Justification of the Good, 3.11, I
2. Modern psychological dictionary / Edited by B. G. Meshcheryakov, V. P. Zinchenko. - St. Petersburg: Prime Eurosign, AST,. - 496 p. - (Psychology is the best). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-17-046534-7, ISBN 978-5-93878-524-3
3. Manuela Lenzen. Evolutionstheorien in den Natur- und Sozialwissenschaften. Campus Verlag, 2003. ISBN 3-593-37206-1 (Google Books)
4. Charlie L. Hardy, Mark van Vugt. Giving for Glory in Social Dilemmas: The Competitive Altruism Hypothesis . University of Kent, Canterbury 2006.
5. David Miller. 'Are they my poor?': The problem of Altruism in a World of Strangers. In: Jonathan Seglow (Hrsg.): The Ethics of Altruism.: Frank Cass Publishers, London 2004. - ISBN 978-0-7146-5594-9 , S. 106-127.
6. David Kelly. Altruism and capitalism. In: IOS Journal. 1 January 1994.
7. Jonathan Seglow (Ed.). The Ethics of Altruism. ROUTLEDGE CHAPMAN & HALL. London. - ISBN 978-0-7146-5594-9.
8. Solovyov V. S. Justification of the good. Part one. Chapter 3. Pity and altruism
9. Dawkins, Clinton Richard. Did morality arise in the process of evolution? // God Delusion = The God Delusion. - Hummingbird,. - 560 p. - 4000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-389-00334-7
10. Christoph Lumer. Rational Altruism. Eine prudentielle Theorie der Rationalität und des Altruismus. Universitätsverlag Rasch, Osnabrück 2000.
11. Howard Margolis. Selfishness, Altruism, and Rationality. A Theory of Social Choice. Chicago and London, 1982.
12. Eagly A.H. Sex differences in social behavior: A social-role interpretation. - Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ 1987.
13. Hoffman M.L. Is altruism a part of human nature? In: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 40 (1981), S. 121-137.
14. Ross, Lee D. (English) Russian Nisbett, Richard E. (English) Russian Person and Situation: Lessons social psychology= The Person and the Situation: Perspectives of Social Psychology / Translation from English by V. V. Romanian, edited by E. N. Emelyanov, B. C. Magun. - M .: Aspect-Press, January 12, 1999. - 429 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-7567-0234-2, ISBN 5-7567-0233-4
15. Leontiev, Dmitry Alekseevich. Labyrinth of identities: not a person for an identity, but an identity for a person (Russian) // Philosophical Sciences: magazine. - 2009. - No. 10. - P. 6.

Links

• R. Corsini, A. Auerbach. Psychological Encyclopedia - Altruism
• PsyJournals - Altruism with Pleasure: The Psychology of Volunteering

see also

• generativity

Categories:

• Ethics
• personality traits
• Motivation
• Actions and behavior
• Social Psychology
• Core public values
• Social obligations

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See what "Altruism" is in other dictionaries:

- (French altruisme from lat. alter another) a moral principle that prescribes disinterested actions aimed at the benefit (satisfaction of interests) of other people. The term "A." was introduced by O. Comte to fix the concept opposite to the concept of "egoism"; … Philosophical Encyclopedia

Altruism- Altruism ♦ Altruisme Auguste Comte (***) called altruism "life for others". So, to be an altruist is to be guided in life not by one's own interests, but by the interests of another person (other people). In fact, this almost never happens... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

altruism- (from Latin alter another) a system of value orientations of a person, in which the central motive and criterion for moral assessment are the interests of another person or a social community. The term "A." introduced French philosopher O. Comte as ... ... Great Psychological Encyclopedia

- (lat. alter another). Feeling opposite to selfishness and arising under the influence of sympathy for other people. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ALTRUISM [fr. altruisme Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

- (altruism) Concern for the welfare or interests of other people. The everyday opposition of altruism to egoism leads to various interpretations the meaning of the first So, this term is often understood as certain character traits, intentions or behavior ... ... Political science. Dictionary.

Philanthropy, selflessness, disinterestedness Dictionary of Russian synonyms. altruism, see unselfishness Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova ... Synonym dictionary

Altruism- (фр. аltruisme, лат. alter – басқа) – басқаның мүдделері үшін өзімшілдікті тежеп, оған жанқиярлықпен қызмет етуге дайындықты білдіретін ізгілік принцип, басқаларға риясыз, пайда іздемей (тілемей) шын, таза көңілмен көмектесу, қол ұшын беру,… … Philosophical terminderdin sozdigі

- (lat. alter - another) - disinterested concern for the welfare of other people. Altruism is the opposite of selfishness. moral principle, which consists in selfless service to other people, the term was introduced by O. Comte as the opposite in meaning to egoism. Big… … Encyclopedia of cultural studies

- (French allruisme, from Latin alter another), self-sacrifice (in animals), a genetically determined behavioral reaction (usually in adults), consisting in a kind of sacrifice of individual biological well-being, even life, ... ... Ecological dictionary

altruism- a m. altruisme m. lat. alter other. 1830. Lexis. Selfless concern for the welfare of others; readiness to sacrifice one's own interests. ALS 2. Why do scientists not study the phenomena of the public in the same way as they study the phenomena of struggle ... Historical dictionary Gallicisms of the Russian language More

AT modern world There is a stereotype that people have long forgotten what kindness and disinterested help to one's neighbor are. Everyone wants to get a benefit and is not ready to commit selfless acts.

But still, even in our difficult time, there are people who are driven by an irresistible desire to help and please everyone, sometimes even to their own detriment. This desire is called altruism.

An altruist is a person who is ready to give his love and kindness to everyone and everyone in this world free of charge.

Egoists and altruists are equally mistaken, because the goal of a person is to serve world harmony.
Absalom Underwater

The main character traits of an altruist

Altruists also have innate modesty and do not like to talk much about themselves, they prefer to listen.

Altruists have a genuine interest in other people. They rejoice in other people's successes, they are sad from other people's failures. They do not know what envy and self-interest are. In a word, they are absolute philanthropists.

Altruists can often be found in various charities. Since they are philanthropists, they take special care of the disadvantaged and needy people.

An altruist will give the last penny if he sees a beggar on the street asking for alms. At the same time, they experience great remorse if they still do not find an opportunity to help the destitute.

Altruists are very honest people. They always keep their promises and do not waste words. From such people one should not expect betrayal and setup.

Directions of altruism

The main types of areas of altruism are:

Altruism of parents

Some parents in an effort to raise a decent person go too far. They believe that you need to put your whole life on the altar of education.

Moral altruism

The generally accepted beliefs and behavior imposed by society encourage the altruist to commit highly moral acts.

empathic altruism

They strive to earn trust and the right to be friends with him. Such altruists will always come to the rescue, they will not leave you in trouble, you can rely on them.

Altruism from feelings of sympathy

Usually this kind of altruism is observed in or strong friendships.

Benefits of Altruism

So what do altruists get in return? What are the benefits of altruism?

• First of all, in the soul of altruists reigns harmony and freedom which is very difficult to break. This state is achieved due to the fact that the altruist is surrounded by grateful people whom he himself made happy.
• Altruism gives a person confidence in himself and his abilities. When such a person manages to help someone or do something useful, he feels a surge of strength and readiness to continue on this path.
• Altruism also provides an opportunity for self-development and disclosure of internal potential. Many people who find themselves in altruism do things that are not characteristic of them for the sake of other people or society.

Disadvantages of altruism

Main negative sides altruism are:

• Altruists usually infringe on themselves and their interests for the sake of another person. This leads to the depreciation of one's own life. It is also not uncommon for an altruist to choose one person as an object for self-sacrifice. specific person or a specific group of people. But at the same time, he forgets that there are other people around who also need attention and love.
• Sometimes altruists are too addicted to this feeling they get from helping others. This leads to exalting oneself and one's actions above others. Over time, such people do all the good deeds only in order to feel their superiority.
• An altruist suffers greatly when he fails to help a person or correct a situation. Such torment can lead to various disorders of the nerves and psyche.

What do you need to do to become an altruist?

People who engage in selfish behavior may stick to this lifestyle for years. At first, they find many advantages in this attitude to life. They enjoy their independence and the benefits they receive. However, it often happens that at some point such people burn out. What used to bring them happiness ceases to please.

In such a situation, it helps to make at least one disinterested act. But it's not so easy to do so ordinary person, not to mention the inveterate egoists. So what does it take to become an altruist?

First of all, altruism is a huge work on oneself and self-education. You can start small and gradually move on to big things. For example, you can give alms to the needy on the street or take the old woman across the road.

Having received the first satisfaction from gratuitous help, it will be easier and easier to do good deeds in the future.

Being attentive to people is a great option to become an altruist. A person who knows how to understand the interests and feel the concerns of other people follows the path of altruism. First of all, you should take care of your family and friends.

Also great start will participate in various charity events as a volunteer. There you can not only provide all possible, disinterested help, but also find support and understanding of the same altruists.

Truly kind acts can make this world a better place. In addition, they bring the person who makes them good mood and positive.

Conclusion

Absolute self-sacrifice will not bring anything positive into your life. Helping others, do not forget about yourself and your interests.

Perhaps everyone has a bit of an altruist, even if he does not know about it.
Veronica Roth. Divergent

Everyone knows examples of situations in which a person, sometimes risking own life and health, helping others. Although in the modern world altruism is quite rare. As a rule, all people try to do what suits them, and in ordinary life much more often we are dealing with selfishness. What is altruism? What can explain such behavior of people? What are some examples of altruism? We will consider all these questions in the article.

The concept of altruism

Altruism is a person's behavior that involves selfless help to others, sometimes to the detriment of one's own interests. Synonymous given word is "selflessness". An altruist refuses possible benefits and benefits in favor of another person or society as a whole. At the same time, he does not expect thanks or rewards from the one to whom he helped.

True altruism must be distinguished from imaginary altruism. For example, a woman lives with her alcoholic husband, takes care of him and hopes that he will improve. At the same time, she completely forgets about herself, turns a blind eye to the fact that her husband takes the last money out of the house. It would seem that such behavior of a woman can be called altruistic. However, in fact, there are reasons why she tolerates her husband's antics. Perhaps a woman is afraid to remain lonely and useless, fears difficulties when parting with her husband. Accordingly, the benefit in her behavior is still present.

True altruism involves heroic deeds in war, helping a drowning man by a man who can barely swim himself, the actions of firefighters pulling children out of a fire. In these cases, it is absolutely impossible to trace any benefit in the behavior of people.

Reasons for altruistic behavior

There are several theories that explain altruistic human behavior. First of all, these include the social responsibility of people and their need to give. According to this, a person seeks to help his neighbor if he sees that he needs him and depends on his actions.

Altruistic behavior can be explained by the reluctance to observe the suffering of others. At the same time, in the event of their termination, the negative emotions of the person who provided assistance also disappear, or they are replaced by positive ones. From the point of view of this theory, altruism and egoism are closely intertwined.

Another reason for selflessness can be a sense of guilt that a person has. By performing a noble deed, he seeks to atone for his sins in this way.

moral altruism

Moral altruism is helping other people, which is based on the conscience and moral attitudes of a person. In this case, the individual acts on the basis of his inner convictions and concepts of how to act correctly in this situation. Living according to conscience, a person becomes honest with himself, does not feel guilt and mental anguish.

One form of moral altruism is normative. It is expressed in the struggle of a person for justice, the desire to punish the guilty and defend the truth. For example, a judge passes a harsh sentence on a criminal, despite being very a large sum offered to him as a bribe.

Rational altruism

Rational altruism is an attempt by a person to find the right balance between his own interests and the needs and needs of others. It involves the meaningful performance of selfless acts by a person, their preliminary consideration.

The rational theory of altruism allows the individual to defend himself against those who might take advantage of his honesty and kindness. That is why it is based on the reciprocity of efforts. Without this, the relationship can turn into an exploitative one. A person needs to understand where and when to offer his help, try not to act to the detriment of himself and his interests.

Altruism out of sympathy and empathy

Altruistic acts are very often committed by a person who is driven by certain experiences and feelings. It can be mercy, compassion or sympathy. As a rule, the benevolence and selflessness of altruists extend only to close people - relatives, friends, loved ones. If altruism goes beyond such relationships, it is called "philanthropy". Most often, it manifests itself in charity and helping those in need.

The concept of selfishness

The opposite of altruism is selfishness. It is the behavior of an individual, aimed solely at satisfying his interests and needs, obtaining benefits and benefits for himself. The consequences that such actions may lead to for other people are not taken into account by the egoist.

There is an opinion that every person is genetically predisposed to selfishness. This is due to the long struggle for survival and natural selection in the conditions in which people had to exist. long time. Some scientists believe that all human actions are driven by selfishness. Even the best intentions and selfless actions actually have an ulterior motive to satisfy the needs of the person himself, and not those of others.

Distinguish between rational and irrational egoism. In the first case, a person evaluates and weighs the consequences of his actions. In the end, he does what he thinks is right and appropriate. Irrational selfishness involves rash and impulsive actions that can lead to unpleasant consequences for others.

Altruism and selfishness

It would seem that such opposite concepts cannot be combined in one person and have nothing in common. Traditionally, we are accustomed to consider selfishness as a negative quality of personality. People who possess it cause condemnation and censure from society. Altruism, on the other hand, means a positive assessment. People have always revered selflessness and heroic deeds.

In fact, it is impossible to separate such concepts as altruism and selfishness. Grade 4 at school is the time to learn about the meaning of these words and the fact that they are perfectly combined in one person and complement each other. Both altruism and reasonable egoism are based on morality and morality. The value of human life is immeasurably great, both someone else's and one's own. Therefore, if an individual strives for personal gain and the realization of his needs, this cannot be considered evil, of course, provided that other people do not suffer from this.

It must also be remembered that a person can change depending on what kind of life lesson he receives. Selfishness and altruism can alternate in people. For example, if a person who has committed a noble deed receives condemnation instead of gratitude, or if his physical and moral abilities to perform good deeds have dried up, then he can turn into an egoist. Caring for one's own person can also be replaced by altruism, if the right conditions are created for this.

The problem of modern society is the condemnation of both selfless behavior and selfishness. In the first case, people are often considered abnormal or do not believe them and look for hidden benefits in their actions. Selfishness is associated with greed and disregard for others.

Pros and Cons of Altruism

The positive aspects of selflessness are obvious to everyone. Altruism is first and foremost about helping people. If you managed to save your neighbor or give him support at the right time, this certainly deserves praise and approval. By doing selfless acts, helping others, each person makes our world a little kinder and more humane.

Does altruism have disadvantages? Within reasonable limits, they are absent. However, if a person completely forgets about himself and his interests, this can cause significant harm to himself. Very often, people around begin to take advantage of the kindness and kindness of a person, shift their duties to him, constantly ask him for a loan of money and do not give it back. They know that they will never be refused and will always help, even if it is not so necessary. As a result, the altruist may be left with nothing, without receiving any gratitude for his good deeds.