Although there are many controversial topics in social psychology, this week's theme of altruism versus egoism is one of the most provocative. The debate over whether humans are capable of pure altruism versus egoism is typically witnessed in the philosophy realm. However, there have been many social psychology studies conducted to determine whether or not humans are, in fact, capable of pure altruism. There is sound research to support both sides of the argument. Some of the research has shown that people do good deeds because they derive some benefit from them while others do good deeds for completely selfless reasons. This week your discussion will consist of a debate with your classmates on altruism versus egoism. 

 

You and your classmates will consider and cover the following topics in your arguments:

• Whether humans are capable of pure altruism (complete selflessness)
• Whether our good deeds are rooted in egoism (motivated by self-interest)
• Whether human behavior falls somewhere between purely altruistic and purely egoistic
• The extent to which culture plays a role in altruistic or egoistic behavior.

Your responses must be scholarly and avoid unsupported claims (e.g., personal opinions and generalizations). That is, you must support your assertions with credible, scientific evidence (peer-reviewed research).