Prosocial Behavior and Extrinsic Incentives Essay Example

costs associated with infants.

The fear of the impact of family violence on economic productivity and medical costs has prompted efforts to combat it. The promotion of charitable or prosocial behavior in society is driven by financial selfish interests, rather than altruism. Resolving societal issues like unemployment is no longer driven by altruism, but by the overall costs it would incur for corporations. This perspective holds that rewards undermine altruism. Consequently, advocates of altruism are seen as naive and weak, while those who provide assistance based on self-interest are perceived as shrewd pragmatics.

According to the writer, performing an activity without a reward results in low quality. Rewards only encourage altruism in the short term and do not work in the long term. The presence of rewards hinders people from considering themselves as truly selfless; thus, their altruism decreases once the reward is gone. People who have been rewarded for certain actions are unlikely to continue doing them without further rewards. To cultivate genuine altruism instead of self-interest driven altruism, it is crucial to encourage individuals, including children, to view themselves as generous (Kohn, 2015).

Natural altruism has a lasting and influential impact on individuals' minds, but rewards and self-interests only serve as external motivations for a limited time and in specific situations (Sansone ; Harackiewicz, 2000). Khon's article convinces me that the inclusion of incentives and selfishness is causing a decline in people's prosocial behavior. The inherent desire for altruism has decreased, to the point where even the government provides social assistance not out of genuine care for its citizens but to avoid negative effects on the economy.

The utilization of rewards to encourage altruism is diminishing the

inherent motivators of prosocial behavior. Rewards are impacting the internal motivators that drive individuals towards altruistic acts and are causing significant negative consequences for society. In particular, rewards are suppressing positive attitudes and stifling creativity among individuals, including students in educational settings. Consequently, in societies where altruism is practiced solely out of self-interest and selfish motives, young individuals are more likely to adopt such behaviors as well (Sansone ; Harackiewicz, 2000).

References

• Clark, M. S. (1991). Prosocial behavior. Newbury Park, Calif: Sage Publications.
• Kohn, A. (2015). The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing (1st ed.). Retrieved from http://www.alfiekohn.org/blogs/self-interest/?print=pdf
• Sansone, C., ; Harackiewicz, J. M. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The search for optimal motivation and performance.

San Diego: Academic Press.