Perspectives for the study of altruism: a brief overview of foreign researches

Leonova Ekaterina

The article provides a brief overview of foreign theories of altruism according to the model of helping and altruism by J.F. Dovidio, L.A. Penner. The article presents researches that prove the connection between empathy and altruism, in which empathy acts as an affective component and a dispositional personality trait. Promising researches of altruism include the study of narcissistic personality traits, altruism born of suffering, and the impact of altruism on happiness, health, and well-being.

Keywords:altruism, altruistic motivation, helping behavior.