The Influencing Factors of Altruism and Egoism

Abstract

The two most common doctrines related to “ethics” are Egoism and Altruism, these two doctrines are often considered to be opposite, therefore understanding the difference between the two will be very important. Egoism refers to people who only care about their own happiness and interests, while an extreme type of Egoism is selfishness; Altruism refers to people who prioritize the interests and feelings of others over themselves, while a type of extreme Altruism is considered as “People Pleaser”. People will choose what they will do based on the “moral boundaries” in their view, since everyone’s boundaries are different, and people will be classified into these two types of ideology based on their actions and thoughts, usually altruists can empathize others better than egoists, which will lead them to make decisions that are benefit for other people. The factors that set the “moral boundaries” for each person is based on their experience, and how do other people treat themselves, factors that drive people to become these two ideologies mainly include family factors and interpersonal relationship factors, most people become egoistic or altruistic influence by other people and the environment.