Self-interest Theory

By Jia Chen Koh

What is it?
Self-interest refers to a focus on the needs or desires of oneself.
"Even at our best, we are only out for ourselves
We do everything, from the considerate to the heroic, for our own benefit.

Consider this.
You're walking down a quiet road one evening and
suddenly come upon a horrible scene. Ahead of you is a
truck turned on its side and lying on the pavement is the
driver, a young man. His face is bloody and he is barely
moving. What do you do? You help. But why do you
help? What, exactly, is your motive?

 You are likely to reply that you helped in order to save the man and
reduce his distress. But many psychologists would offer a different
explanation
When we see someone in distress, we ourselves will also experience
feelings of distress (shock, worry or fear).
These unpleasant emotions lead us to want to reduce those feelings
and increase our own well being.
To do so, we choose to reduce our own distress by helping.
What appears to be altruistically motivated behaviour is really only
self interest in disguise

Contradiction of the Self

Interest Theory

Dr. C. Daniel Bateson of the University of Kansas. Bateson and his

colleagues conducted a series of experiments to examine how people
respond to others in need.
Bateson found that when subjects encountered someone in need, they
typically experienced two distinct kinds of emotions: personal distress
(alarm, worry, or grief) or empathy (sympathy, compassion, or tenderness).

While subjects experiencing either of the emotions helped the person in

need, their actions differed according to which emotion was present.
When escape easy, 67% of subjects reporting feelings of distress escaped
rather than helped. However, only 17% of the subjects with feelings of
empathy escaped; the majority of them stayed to help the person in need
despite the fact that they couldve easily escaped
Bateson claims that empathy appear to arouse a genuinely altruistic
motivation to help that is not derived from self interest.

The definitive TRUTH

First!
Think carefully. Think DEEPLY.
NOW. Can you realize you are actually SELFISH?!
NO? Let me tell you this By definition, EVERYONE is
selfish!

Doing WHATEVER we want to do and END up doing what

we want to do. (EXAMPLE HERE)
Criticism here:

IF everyone is selfish, no one is selfish.

If everyone is good at something, no one is truly good.

EVOLUTIONARY
MECHANISM
SELFISHNESS is hardwired into our program.
In order to pursue our own interests!!

THINK CAREFULLY AGAIN. THINK DEEPLY.

Those are what we do to survive and pass on our genetic

materials.

Criticism>>> EMPATHY and Altruism

Benefit of being selfinterested and narcissistic

Gratitude quality of being thankful and return kindness
Developed a positive image of your own.
Confidence
Superhuman strength and happiness.

Does not always work in specific situation.

I did this slide just to tell people its not THAT bad to be self
interested.