Читать книгу Positive Psychology - Группа авторов - Страница 19

Many forms of self‐benefit can be derived from helping. Some are obvious, as when we get material rewards or thanks, or when we avoid censure. But even when we benefit others in the absence of external rewards, we can still benefit. Seeing a person or animal in need may cause us to feel distress, and we may relieve the other’s distress in order to remove our own. Or we can benefit by feeling good about ourselves for being kind. Or by escaping guilt and shame for failing to do what we think we should. The empathy‐altruism hypothesis doesn’t deny that altruistically motivated helping brings self‐benefits like these. But it claims that, insofar as our motivation for helping stems from empathic concern, any self‐benefits that result are unintended consequences rather than the ultimate goal.