Altruism is an important concept in psychology. Being altruistic can be considered one of the characteristics of a good person.
What is altruism? It is important to define altruism and gain an understanding of the meaning of altruistic behavior. Below is a definition of altruism:
Altruism is helping behavior that is motivated by a selfless concern for the welfare of another person.
Based on above definition, not all helping behavior is altruism. Only selfless heping is considered altruism.
It may be difficult to determine whether helping behavior truly reflects altruism. This seems to be true because there are a number of possible selfish motives to help another person. Also, if a person enjoys helping others and also has a true concern for the welfare for others, can it still considered altruism? It seems that many helping behaviors could be considered as benefiting the person who helps because it is likely that the person who helps another person will experience the joy of helping others. Thus, it may not be possible to completely separate selfish motivation from altruistic motivation in many situations.