Saturday, April 23, 2011

Human Behavior as Guided Primarily by Self-Interest

Human behavior is guided primarily by self-interest.
Describe a specific situation in which human behavior might not be guided primarily by self-interest. Discuss what you think determines when human behavior is guided primarily by self-interest and when it is not.

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As humans, we are essentially animals at the core with most of our behavior driven by instincts---namely, the desire to survive and to propagate our genes. Consciously and subconsciously, our pursuits in life and daily behavior are formed around these instincts. However, some humans have developed beyond their instinctual tendencies and act in ways that seemingly are against their own self-interest and in the interest of others. These may be seen in certain altruistic deeds. Others also act against their own self-interest as a result of alteration in their brain chemistry due to drugs or mental illness. However, all humans, regardless of how developed they are on a civilized scale, are essentially driven by self-interest during the majority of their lifetime.

The instinct to survive drives us as humans to fulfill our basic needs of food, water, clothes and shelter. In poorer countries, people's daily activities are centered around survival and feeding their families. More developed nations, such as the United States, do not struggle with meeting basic ends and the people may pursue intellectual and recreational activities on a more frequent level. Of course, there still exists the self-interest of surviving but more in a level of increasing pleasure and diminishing hardship. All humans also are wired to propagate their genes and the mechanism of sex as a pleasurable activity helps facilitate this instinctual goal. The desire to reproduce, however, has been stifled in recent decades due to practicality concerns related to financial burdens of child care. However, family planning also furthers one's self interest due to the desire to have enough resources to ensure the survival of existing dependents.

At first glance, it may seem that mothers go against self-interest by being willing to give up their lives for their children's survival. However, this "sacrifice" really acts in the interest of the mother. Her ability to save her children would increase the chances of her genes surviving for more generations to come. Also, any type of altruistic deed performed by a person for his family members is a manifestation of self interest.

A person may help another through altruistic deeds and seemingly get "nothing" back in return. This might be perceived as acting against one's self interest. In reality, however, most people perform altruistic acts for reasons that can be traced back to self interest--i.e., the desire to raise one's own self esteem, look good in front of other people, expect payment in-kind for future purposes, receive a tax break, etc.

Indeed, some people have performed altruistic acts against their own instinctual desire to survive. This is seen in instances where a person gives up his life in saving a complete stranger. In this situation, the Samaritan is not acting in a professional capacity (e.g., fireman, body guard) and does not expect anything in return for his generous act. These instances are extremely rare as most people wish to ensure their own survival when they observe a stranger in a life-threatening situation.

People also act against their self interest due to abnormalities in their brain chemistry. For example, a person suffering from severe depression may commit suicide. Objectively speaking, the act of suicide goes against our animal instincts. However, from the point of view of the sick person, killing one's self is in his interest of ending suffering. Furthermore, self-destructive behaviors, such as drug abuse and other addictions, also run against self interest. The alteration in their brains prevents them from acting as a normal person who would ensure his own survival.


There are, indeed, a few examples of Samaritans acting against their own self-interest. However, humans, in general, center their activities and behavior around their self interest of survival. This does not only mean the survival of their own physical bodies but also the successful propagation of their genes.

4 comments:

  1. Good essay, one comment i would make that stood out to me was "propagation of genes." It was said 3 times and it stuck out to me because it sounded un-natural, something like "Naturally humans are biologically programmed to reproduce to produce offspring, thereby passing on their genes and furthering their generation." After having written that i now understand its somewhat awkward to say, or say in a way that still sounds fluid in the essay; In a 45min time constraint, repeating "propagation of genes," may be easier!

    Just curious, why are you not writing the MCAT?

    Also, my biggest problem is coming up with concrete ideas when approaching the essay prompts. Any pointers?

    Btw, my email is hockey4life_9@hotmail.com. I'll be reading quite a few of your essay so expect more comments!

    Till next time,

    Mike

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Mike. I didn't realize that I wrote that phrase three times!

    I was actually a history major with little interest in science or math. I just decided to look for a bunch of essay prompts online and ran into the MCAT website. It had the most comprehensive list of topics that I could write on (nothing about organic chemistry or the like that I expected on an MCAT essay prompt).

    In my experience, the best way to come up with concrete ideas for essay writing is to be well read in the first place. I recommend that you subscribe to a Google news feed covering current events (e.g., Foreign Policy Magazine, WSJ Opinion & Commentary, etc.)and keep up with your reading every day. I'm assuming you're studying for the MCAT and only have a limited amount of time to prepare. However, constantly reading well-written articles between now and your test date might help you come up with examples for your essays.

    Oh and please take heed of my disclaimer---some of my examples and explanations may be totally off base. I realize that my reasoning may also be skewed due to the limited amount of time I dedicate to each essay.

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  3. Really impressed by your essays. I'm trying to learn from your structure and out-of-the-box thinking. Thank-you.

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  4. thank you so much. I love the way you write.

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