Contrast two theories explaining altruism in humans

Altruistic behaviour is when people help others with no reward, and even at a cost to themselves. Darwin suggested that the evolution of altruism should be seen in relation to what could be advantageous to the group a person belongs to, rather than what could be advantageous by the individual alone. This essay will contrast two theories that explain altruism in humans: the kin selection theory, which is a biological explanation, and the empathy-altruism model, which is a cognitive explanation.

The Kin Selection Theory predicts that the degree of altruism depends on the number of genes shared by the helper and the individual that is being helped. The closer the relationship, the greater the chance for altruistic behaviour. This is supported by many animal studies, where animals tend to help those that are related to them. Dawkins proposed the "selfish gene theory" arguing that there is an innate drive for the survival and propagation of one's own genes. Organisms will try to make sure that their genes are passed on to the next generation. This may explain why mothers often protect their child and are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect them, whilst the vice versa is rare. However, this theory does not explain why some people work for charity or help strangers cross the road. It is also questionable whether animal behaviour can be generalized to human behaviour. Similarly, adoption does not benefit kin and thus cannot be explained by this theory.

By contrast, the Empathy-Altruism Model does explain why people help others that are not family. The Empathy-Altruism Model, by Batson et al, is based on the idea that an emotional response of empathy is generated when another person is perceived to be in need. According to Batson, two emotional responses are experienced when we see someone in need. The first one is personal distress, where we feel bad for the concern person, and this will lead to egoistic helping in order to make ourselves feel better. The second one is emphatic concern, where we feel like we ought to help others if we can, and this will lead to altruistic behaviour. In order words, if you feel empathy towards someone, you will help them regardless of what you gain from it. But if you do not feel empathy, you will weigh the costs and benefits before making a decision of whether to help.

Batson et al carried out an experiment where he asked students to listen to a recording of a student named Carol, who had broken both of her legs and is struggling to catch up with her school work. The students were divided into two groups: low empathy group and high empathy group. The students were then given a letter, asking them to meet up with Carol and share their lecture notes with her. Some participants were told that Carol would be finishing her work at home, and others were told that she would be in their class when she returned to school. Participants from the high empathy group were almost equally likely to help Carol, whether or not she would be in their class or not. Those from the low empathy group were more likely to help if they thought Carol would be in their class. The experiment concluded that if you feel empathy towards someone, you will be more likely to help.

Thus this theory explains what the Kin Selection Theory does not. However, there are also weaknesses of the Empathy-Altruism Model. The study only looked at short-term altruism - would the participants from the high empathy group continue to help Carol throughout her time in school? Interpretation of the results also do not take personality factors into account. It is also difficult to measure a person's level of empathy. But nonetheless, Batson et al's study is constantly being replicated, and the results are the same.

In conclusion, the Kin Selection Theory and the Empathy-Altruism Model both explain altruism in humans. We are more likely to help our family than our friends even when no empathy is felt, but with those that are not family we will help if we feel empathy towards them.