John Donne's People: Explaining Differences between Rational Actors and Altruists through Cognitive Frameworks

Abstract

Most social and political theory since Hobbes is constructed on the norm of self-interest. Yet even in the most vicious of Darwinian worlds, altruism and selfless behavior continue to exist. Why? The work described below examines altruism to answer three specific questions. Are there systematic sociocultural predictors of altruism and related forms of selfless behavior? Are there corresponding systematic similarities in cognitive schema among altruists with respect to their self-perception and identity? And, finally, how can we explain differences between altruists and the self-interested rational actors of economics and rational choice theory? The research described here analyzes entrepreneurs as paradigmatic rational actors and contrasts them with philanthropists, heroes, and rescuers of Jews in Nazi-Europe. Findings from in-depth interviews suggest none of the traditional sociocultural factors predicts altruistic behavior. Explanations from social psychology work no better for selfless individuals than...