Pathological Altruism - An Introduction

Abstract:     
Many harmful deeds - from “co-dependency” to suicide martyrdom to genocide - are committed with the altruistic intention to help companions or one’s own in-group. Thus, it is worthwhile to study how well-meaning altruism can shade into pathology. In essence, pathological altruism might be thought of as any behavior or personal tendency where either the stated aim, or the implied motivation, is to promote the welfare of another. But instead of overall beneficial outcomes, the “altruism” instead has irrational (from the point of view of an outside observer) and substantial negative consequences to the other or even to the self. This introductory chapter provides a broad perspective presents psychological, neuropsychological, biological, and evolutionary approaches that help account for pathologically altruistic behavior, and goes on to discusses its diverse and profound societal implications. The result is a nuanced counterbalance to the study of altruism and a call for further research.

Number of Pages in PDF File: 18

Keywords: Altruism, pathological altruism, behaviour, biological, genetic, evolutionary

JEL Classification: B00, D00, D64, E00, F00, G00, H00, I00, J00, K00, L00, N00, O00, P00, Z10

Accepted Paper Series