Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- 1 The Moral Personality
- 2 The Moral Functioning of the Person as a Whole: On Moral Psychology and Personality Science
- 3 Moral Science? Still Metaphysical After All These Years
- 4 Cultural Pluralism and Moral Identity
- 5 Neuroscience and Morality: Moral Judgments, Sentiments, and Values
- 6 Triune Ethics Theory and Moral Personality
- 7 Early Foundations: Conscience and the Development of Moral Character
- 8 The Development of the Moral Personality
- 9 Urban Neighborhoods as Contexts for Moral Identity Development
- 10 Moral Personality Exemplified
- 11 Greatest of the Virtues? Gratitude and the Grateful Personality
- 12 The Elusive Altruist: The Psychological Study of the Altruistic Personality
- 13 Growing Toward Care: A Narrative Approach to Prosocial Moral Identity and Generativity of Personality in Emerging Adulthood
- 14 Moral Identity, Integrity, and Personal Responsibility
- 15 The Dynamic Moral Self: A Social Psychological Perspective
- 16 The Double-Edged Sword of a Moral State of Mind
- 17 Moral Identity in Business Situations: A Social-Cognitive Framework for Understanding Moral Functioning
- 18 The Moral Functioning of Mature Adults and the Possibility of Fair Moral Reasoning
- 19 Moral Personality: Themes, Questions, Futures
- Author Index
- Subject Index
12 - The Elusive Altruist: The Psychological Study of the Altruistic Personality
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- 1 The Moral Personality
- 2 The Moral Functioning of the Person as a Whole: On Moral Psychology and Personality Science
- 3 Moral Science? Still Metaphysical After All These Years
- 4 Cultural Pluralism and Moral Identity
- 5 Neuroscience and Morality: Moral Judgments, Sentiments, and Values
- 6 Triune Ethics Theory and Moral Personality
- 7 Early Foundations: Conscience and the Development of Moral Character
- 8 The Development of the Moral Personality
- 9 Urban Neighborhoods as Contexts for Moral Identity Development
- 10 Moral Personality Exemplified
- 11 Greatest of the Virtues? Gratitude and the Grateful Personality
- 12 The Elusive Altruist: The Psychological Study of the Altruistic Personality
- 13 Growing Toward Care: A Narrative Approach to Prosocial Moral Identity and Generativity of Personality in Emerging Adulthood
- 14 Moral Identity, Integrity, and Personal Responsibility
- 15 The Dynamic Moral Self: A Social Psychological Perspective
- 16 The Double-Edged Sword of a Moral State of Mind
- 17 Moral Identity in Business Situations: A Social-Cognitive Framework for Understanding Moral Functioning
- 18 The Moral Functioning of Mature Adults and the Possibility of Fair Moral Reasoning
- 19 Moral Personality: Themes, Questions, Futures
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Summary
Few topics through the ages have garnered as much scholarly attention as altruism. Across many different philosophical, theological, and scientific disciplines, scholars have critically debated and researched the topic of altruism posing such questions as: Are humans innately good or bad? Are there actions that are selflessly motivated? Or do all behaviors stem from selfish motives? Questions such as these spark heated debate and much controversy because the answers have tremendous theoretical and practical implications for human nature and functioning. Since psychology is a relatively young science, the study of altruism in psychology is also relatively new and continues to be a focal point for debate and controversy.
The tremendous interest in altruism stems in part from a desire to understand individuals who commit themselves to acts of heroism and sacrifice to assist others – sometimes at risk for their own life or well-being (Staub, 2005). Such individuals have sometimes been termed moral or care exemplars by scholars (Colby & Damon, 1992), and many such individuals have been identified in history (e.g., Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa). However, there are many others not so recognized who commit such acts in relative obscurity in our local communities and across the world. It is not that such individuals always behave altruistically, but rather that some individuals exhibit such acts relatively frequently across time and situations. Furthermore, although those individuals might feel obligated, or feel it a duty, to help others, such duty or obligation is primarily intrinsically rather than extrinsically based.
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- Information
- Personality, Identity, and CharacterExplorations in Moral Psychology, pp. 271 - 294Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009
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