Download or read book Altruism and Activism written by Craig E. Seaton and published by Lanham, Md. : University Press of America. This book was released on 1996 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work is the only empirical study of the psychological and social characteristics of a group who blockaded an abortion clinic. The study employs extensive questionnaires, psychological scales, analysis of official court statements and thorough interviews in order to gather information on personal motivation and on various psychological and sociological characteristics. Comparisons are made with a peer group drawn from the same geographic area and with a large group of Europeans representing 10 different countries. The study reveals that the Blockade Group differed from the comparison groups in many ways, including evidence that the Blockade Group demonstrated greater tolerance for various minority and socially unpopular groups; was more willing to oppose the permissive values of popular culture; and demonstrated greater social interest and psychological well-being on psychological measures. Altruism and Activism is highly appropriate reading for courses on social issues, sociology of religion, introduction to sociology, and social psychology.
Download or read book Doing Good Better written by William MacAskill and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of us want to make a difference. We donate our time and money to charities and causes we deem worthy, choose careers we consider meaningful, and patronize businesses and buy products we believe make the world a better place. Unfortunately, we often base these decisions on assumptions and emotions rather than facts. As a result, even our best intentions often lead to ineffective—and sometimes downright harmful—outcomes. How can we do better? While a researcher at Oxford, trying to figure out which career would allow him to have the greatest impact, William MacAskill confronted this problem head on. He discovered that much of the potential for change was being squandered by lack of information, bad data, and our own prejudice. As an antidote, he and his colleagues developed effective altruism, a practical, data-driven approach that allows each of us to make a tremendous difference regardless of our resources. Effective altruists believe that it’s not enough to simply do good; we must do good better. At the core of this philosophy are five key questions that help guide our altruistic decisions: How many people benefit, and by how much? Is this the most effective thing I can do? Is this area neglected? What would have happened otherwise? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? By applying these questions to real-life scenarios, MacAskill shows how many of our assumptions about doing good are misguided. For instance, he argues one can potentially save more lives by becoming a plastic surgeon rather than a heart surgeon; measuring overhead costs is an inaccurate gauge of a charity’s effectiveness; and, it generally doesn’t make sense for individuals to donate to disaster relief. MacAskill urges us to think differently, set aside biases, and use evidence and careful reasoning rather than act on impulse. When we do this—when we apply the head and the heart to each of our altruistic endeavors—we find that each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good.
Download or read book In the Interest of Others written by John S. Ahlquist and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-08 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A groundbreaking study of labor unions that advances a new theory of organizational leadership and governance In the Interest of Others develops a new theory of organizational leadership and governance to explain why some organizations expand their scope of action in ways that do not benefit their members directly. John Ahlquist and Margaret Levi document eighty years of such activism by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union in the United States and the Waterside Workers Federation in Australia. They systematically compare the ILWU and WWF to the Teamsters and the International Longshoremen's Association, two American transport industry labor unions that actively discouraged the pursuit of political causes unrelated to their own economic interests. Drawing on a wealth of original data, Ahlquist and Levi show how activist organizations can profoundly transform the views of members about their political efficacy and the collective actions they are willing to contemplate. They find that leaders who ask for support of projects without obvious material benefits must first demonstrate their ability to deliver the goods and services members expect. These leaders must also build governance institutions that coordinate expectations about their objectives and the behavior of members. In the Interest of Others reveals how activist labor unions expand the community of fate and provoke preferences that transcend the private interests of individual members. Ahlquist and Levi then extend this logic to other membership organizations, including religious groups, political parties, and the state itself.
Download or read book The Life You Can Save written by Peter Singer and published by Random House Trade Paperbacks. This book was released on 2010 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Argues that for the first time in history we're in a position to end extreme poverty throughout the world, both because of our unprecedented wealth and advances in technology, therefore we can no longer consider ourselves good people unless we give more to the poor. Reprint.
Download or read book Political Altruism written by Marco Giugni and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2001 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Giugni and Passy (both: political science, U. of Geneva), along with contributors, explore the political ramifications of solidarity movements, which defy traditional explanations of political actors as fundamentally self-interested. Using country-specific studies form France, the United States, Germany, Great Britain, and Switzerland, they look at the growing internationalization of such movements, the interactions between movements and states, the moral vs. self-interest components of movements, and the consequences of such movements. Annotation copyrighted by Book News Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book More Than Altruism written by Brian H. Smith and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As government officials and political activists are becoming increasingly aware, international nonprofit agencies have an important political dimension: although not self-serving, these private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) seek social changes of which many of their financial contributors are unaware. As PVOs and NGOs receive increasing subsidies from their home governments in the United States, Canada, and Europe, they are moving away from short-term relief commitments in developing countries and toward longer-term goals in health, education, training, and small-scale production. Showing that European and Canadian NGOs focus more on political change as part of new development efforts than do their U.S. counterparts, Brian Smith presents the first major comparative study of the political aspect of PVOs and NGOs. Smith emphasizes the paradoxes in the private-aid system, both in the societies that send aid and in those that receive it. Pointing out that international nonprofit agencies are in some instances openly critical of nation-state interests, he asks how these agencies can function in a foreign-aid network intended as a support for those same interests. He concludes that compromises throughout the private-aid networkand some secrecymake it possible for institutions with different agendas to work together. In the future, however, serious conflicts may develop with donors and nation states. Originally published in 1990. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Download or read book Altruistic Personality written by Samuel P. Oliner and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 1992-04-01 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An enligtening and powerful exploration of those who risked their lives to help others during the Holocaust—and those who did not—and what we must do to ensure that such a tragedy never occurs again. Why, during the Holocaust, did some ordinary people risk their lives and the lives of their families to help others—even total strangers—while others stood passively by? Samuel Oliner, a Holocaust survivor who has interviewed more than seven hundred European rescuers and nonrescuers, provides some surprising answers in this compelling work. Samuel Oliver delves into the profound acts of altruism that emerged during one of history's darkest periods. Each interview provides a unique insight into the types of personalities that answer a call to action, and those that do not. By comparing these rescuers with bystanders, he provides a nuanced understanding of what drives people to act with extraordinary compassion—or to remain passive in the face of evil. Offering both a historical perspective and a roadmap for a more compassionate future, Altruistic Personality is not just a historical account—it is a call to action and a beacon for moral education. Relevant when it was first published and even more relevant today, Oliver argues that by understanding and fostering the traits of altruism, we can prevent future atrocities and bring out the better aspects of humanity.
Download or read book Standing at the Edge written by Joan Halifax and published by . This book was released on 2018-05 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[This book is] an ... examination of how we can respond to suffering, live our fullest lives, and remain open to the full spectrum of our human experience"--Amazon.com.
Download or read book Altruism in Humans written by Charles Daniel Batson and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We send money to help famine victims halfway around the world. We campaign to save whales and oceans. We stay up all night to comfort a friend with a broken relationship. People will at times risk - even lose - their lives for others, including strangers. Why do we do these things? What motivates such behavior? Altruism in Humans takes a hard-science look at the possibility that we humans have the capacity to care for others for their sakes rather than simply for our own. Based on an extensive series of theory-testing laboratory experiments conducted over the past 35 years, this book details a theory of altruistic motivation, offers a comprehensive summary of the research designed to test the empathy-altruism hypothesis, and considers the theoretical and practical implications of this conclusion. Authored by the world's preeminent scholar on altruism, this landmark work is an authoritative scholarly resource on the theory surrounding altruism and its potential contribution to better interpersonal relations and a better society.
Download or read book Emergency Intervention written by Jane Allyn Piliavin and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Hedge Fund Activism written by Alon Brav and published by Now Publishers Inc. This book was released on 2010 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hedge Fund Activism begins with a brief outline of the research literature and describes datasets on hedge fund activism.
Download or read book Pathological Altruism written by Barbara Oakley and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-12-19 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The benefits of altruism and empathy are obvious. These qualities are so highly regarded and embedded in both secular and religious societies that it seems almost heretical to suggest they can cause harm. Like most good things, however, altruism can be distorted or taken to an unhealthy extreme. Pathological Altruism presents a number of new, thought-provoking theses that explore a range of hurtful effects of altruism and empathy. Pathologies of empathy, for example, may trigger depression as well as the burnout seen in healthcare professionals. The selflessness of patients with eating abnormalities forms an important aspect of those disorders. Hyperempathy - an excess of concern for what others think and how they feel - helps explain popular but poorly defined concepts such as codependency. In fact, pathological altruism, in the form of an unhealthy focus on others to the detriment of one's own needs, may underpin some personality disorders. Pathologies of altruism and empathy not only underlie health issues, but also a disparate slew of humankind's most troubled features, including genocide, suicide bombing, self-righteous political partisanship, and ineffective philanthropic and social programs that ultimately worsen the situations they are meant to aid. Pathological Altruism is a groundbreaking new book - the first to explore the negative aspects of altruism and empathy, seemingly uniformly positive traits. The contributing authors provide a scientific, social, and cultural foundation for the subject of pathological altruism, creating a new field of inquiry. Each author's approach points to one disturbing truth: what we value so much, the altruistic "good" side of human nature, can also have a dark side that we ignore at our peril.
Download or read book Political Activists in America written by Nathan Teske and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Argues that active involvement in politics can be deeply fulfilling to the individual, and that the construction of identity for all activists is both about morality and about what one wants for oneself. Includes interviews with environmental, social justice, and pro-life activists"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Change of Heart written by Nick Cooney and published by Lantern Books. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An easy-to-use psychology primer for anyone wanting to spread progressive social change. Developed so that non-profits, community organizers and others can make science-driven decisions in their advocacy work.
Download or read book A Fraught Embrace written by Ann Swidler and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of the AIDS pandemic, legions of organizations and compassionate individuals from faraway places descended on Africa to offer help and save lives. Ann Swidler and Susan Cotts Watkins vividly describe the often mismatched expectations and fantasies of altruists who dream of transforming lives, of the villagers who desperately seek help, and of the brokers on whom both Western altruists and impoverished villagers must rely. Based on years of fieldwork in the heavily AIDS-affected country of Malawi, this incisive, irreverent book digs into the sprawling AIDS enterprise and unravels the paradoxes of policy and practice. All who want to do good—from idealistic volunteers to world-weary development professionals—depend on brokers as guides, fixers, and cultural translators. The mutual misunderstandings among these players create all the drama of a romance: longing, exhilaration, disappointment, heartache, and sometimes an enduring connection. A Fraught Embrace unveils the tangled relations of those involved in the collective struggle to contain an epidemic.
Download or read book Winners Take All written by Anand Giridharadas and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The groundbreaking investigation of how the global elite's efforts to "change the world" preserve the status quo and obscure their role in causing the problems they later seek to solve. An essential read for understanding some of the egregious abuses of power that dominate today’s news. "Impassioned.... Entertaining reading.” —The Washington Post Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, where the rich and powerful fight for equality and justice any way they can—except ways that threaten the social order and their position atop it. They rebrand themselves as saviors of the poor; they lavishly reward “thought leaders” who redefine “change” in ways that preserve the status quo; and they constantly seek to do more good, but never less harm. Giridharadas asks hard questions: Why, for example, should our gravest problems be solved by the unelected upper crust instead of the public institutions it erodes by lobbying and dodging taxes? His groundbreaking investigation has already forced a great, sorely needed reckoning among the world’s wealthiest and those they hover above, and it points toward an answer: Rather than rely on scraps from the winners, we must take on the grueling democratic work of building more robust, egalitarian institutions and truly changing the world—a call to action for elites and everyday citizens alike.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Prosocial Behavior written by David A. Schroeder and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 817 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Prosocial Behavior provides a comprehensive review of the current literature on when and why people act to benefit others. It provides a comprehensive overview of the field to give both the casual reader and the neophyte to the field some perspective about fundamental questions (what, why, when, and who) relative to prosocial behavior. Taking a multi-level approach, the chapters represent the broad spectrum of this multi-faceted domain. Topics range from micro-level analyses involving evolutionary and comparative psychological factors to macro-level applications, such as reducing intergroup conflicts and ethnic genocide. Between these extremes, the contributors--all internationally recognized in their field--offer their perspectives on developmental processes that may predispose individuals to empathize with and respond to the needs of others, individual differences that seem to interact with situational demands to promote helping, and the underlying motivations of those helping others. They explain volunteerism, intragroup cooperation, and intergroup cooperation to move the analysis from the individual to group-level phenomena. They extend the consideration of this topic to include support of pro-environmental actions, means to encourage participation in medical clinical trials, and the promotion of world peace. The ways that gender, interpersonal relationships, race, and religion might affect decisions to give aid and support to others are also addressed. The final chapter offers a unique view of prosocial behavior that encourages researchers and readers to take an even broader consideration of the field to search for a prosocial consilience.
