What Is Altruism?

Practicing empathy: Rather than distancing yourself from others, practice empathy by building connections and putting a human face on the problems you see. Consider how you would feel in that situation, and think about things that you can do to help make a difference.

Setting a goal: Find ways that you can regularly perform random acts of kindness for others. Look around you for people who may need help, or look for ways that you can volunteer in your community. Fix a meal for someone in need, help a friend with a chore, donate during a blood drive, or spend some time volunteering for a local organization.

Potential Pitfalls

There can be some possible drawbacks and difficulties to altruism, like:

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  It can sometimes create risk. People may engage in altruistic acts that can place them in danger.
  
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  It may sometimes lead people to neglect their own health, social, or financial needs in order to care for others.
  
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  While acts of altruism may be done with good intentions, they don't always lead to positive outcomes.
  
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  It may lead people to focus their efforts on one cause while neglecting others.
  

People who work in helping professions may find themselves emotionally overwhelmed by caring for and helping others. In a more severe example, a person who altruistically adopts animals may shift into animal hoarding, reaching a point where they can no longer house or care for the animals they have taken in.

Despite these potential problems, altruism is generally a positive force in the world, and it's a skill worth developing.