Generosity From A Psychological Perspective

There have been several recent studies on generosity from a psychological perspective, and they show that it comes with great benefits.

Some researchers in humanism-existentialism, especially Erich Fromm and Victor Frankl, emphasized ethical values ​​and love.

Fromm believed that ethical values ​​and love are sources of psychological well-being and something that characterizes a healthy person (Oberst, 2005).

Generosity and gratitude are two important concepts that show a person’s good character traits (Emmons & Sheldon, 2002). They are also very complementary.

The relationship between these two concepts begins with an affective process where you “give”, and intended if it is something material, a piece of advice or just that you help someone without expecting anything in return.

Generosity is a pro-social behavior that aims to improve another person’s well-being.

Maslow (2001) talked about the “generous nature” of people, which was the opposite of selfishness and which he called “healthy generosity”.

He argued that there is a relationship between generous behavior and psychological health because generous behavior comes from “abundance” and “inner wealth.”

Selfish behavior, on the other hand, is equated with inner poverty, which often characterizes neurotic people.

Gratitude and generosity from a psychological perspective

Ethicists define gratitude as a moral virtue that promotes good behavior (McCullogh, Kilpatrick, Emmons & Larson, 2001).

However, the definition of moral behavior forces us to thank the benefits we have received as impersonal mandates (Blumenfeld, 1962).

Recognizing and appreciating a person who has helped us does not mean that you are in debt to that person.

There are many who have suggested that gratitude and guilt are the same thing, but they are widely differing (Watkins, Scheer, Ovnicek & Kolts, 2006). Debt requires payment.

It is important to be aware that the donor’s action must be generous and that it is not about getting a reward. A truly generous act does not try to get anything back.

Is generosity an indicator of mental health?

Generosity from a psychological perspective has been the subject of many studies, especially when it comes to the scientific search for altruism. Several empirical studies also believe that it is a good indicator of mental health.

The feeling of belonging to a society is one of the foundations of psychological well-being. This is the reason why its absence is an indicator of poor psychological adjustment and mental disorders.

When a child does not succeed in developing a sense of belonging due to an overly authoritarian upbringing, he will feel that he does not belong to anything and inferiority complexes will arise (Oberst, 2005).

Feelings of inferiority complex are difficult to tolerate. The common tendency is therefore to overcompensate with what Adler calls “a desire to be superior.”

This is a trait that, according to Adler’s psychology, is often the root of many psychological disorders.

Neurotic predispositions

An individual with feelings of inferiority and a poor sense of belonging will develop what Adler calls “neurotic predispositions” (Adler, 1912/1993).

It can manifest itself in several ways that we in today’s situation would relate to neuroticism.

A distortion of the mental life arises at this perceived inferiority. The neurotic person can no longer relate to others in a natural and spontaneous way.

The person will constantly try to achieve triumphs to compensate for his perceived sense of inferiority.