Altruism, its nature, origin and development

Snezana JOKSIMOVIC

Altruism, its nature, origin and development

The present article argues about the concept of altruism and the related concepts, as well as the motivation of the altruistic and the other forms of archisocial behavior. The situational as well as individual components of altruism have also been analyzed. The effect of the age and sex, certain features of character and values accepted as the representatives of individual components has been considered too. In conformity with the interaction understanding according to which one’s behavior is the result of the mutual action (interaction) between a person and a situation, the author points out that to understand an altruistic behavior in takes having the entire survey over the circumstances saucing the demonstration of altruism and the properties of the personalities that exert the altruistic behavior.

In the part of the article dealing whit the development and the simulation of altruism the author makes an analyses of the role of the family, persons of the same age and the school. Beside the adequate action of certain agents of socialization, the author is particularly in favor of the organized and well-devised participation of the young in the humanity work as one the most efficient ways to stimulate altruism.