ALTRUISM AND DONATION

Altruism and Donation

Altruism and Donation

Introduction

The precise definition of altruism has been heavily debated by scholars in numerous fields including economics, psychology and sociology. In the context of donation for both research and therapeutic purposes, altruism has been variously interpreted as the desire to help a stranger (Hantchef, 1963); service to the community (Phillips, 1961); recognition of a need to help others (Boskovic, 1964) and benefit future patients; having a sense of duty, a belief that it is the right thing to do or that it is a worthy cause (American National Red Cross, 1964); gratitude (Boe, Timmens, 1966); and humanitarian interests (London & Hemphill, 1965; Oswalt & Napoliello, 1974). The variable and often atheoretical manner in which altruism is defined (or not defined) in these studies has resulted in a lack of clarity regarding the significance and implications of their findings.

Donors spontaneously expressed concern that their donations should benefit others. They were firm in stating that their donations were voluntary and un-coerced. Mention of benefit resulting from donation was made in reference to others rather than themselves. However, participants did not perceive that they would be assuming a cost through the act of donation. Perceptions of risk, and therefore potential self-sacrifice, are not essential to establish the presence of altruism, but they do provide some measure of its intensity (Monroe, 2004). Monroe, for example, argued that altruism must include willingness to assume cost (in the form of risk or sacrifice). The necessity for altruism to include risk or sacrifice has been heavily debated. This issue is particularly relevant in the case of donation of leftover surgical waste, such as tumor tissue, which requires no further action on the part of the participant and no additional procedure, and which, as we have seen, is generally not seen by donors as placing them at risk of future harm. It was previously suggested that altruism is influenced by the ease of donation (Haimes & Whong-Barr, 2004).

Intentionality in the context of donation the satisfaction that donors appeared to draw from the sense that they were contributing to “the good” resonates with theories of altruism, intentionality was neither strongly nor spontaneously expressed. Participants did not express a preexisting desire to do good by contributing to research. Rather, donation appeared to be a more-or-less automatic response to a specific request made in the context of ridding themselves of something that was unwanted and would be ...