Institutional Altruism as one of the Central Issues of Sociology : Theoretical Framework

The problem of institutional altruism is one of the central issues of sociology(Merton, 1982). Institutional altruism is an important feature as a returning benefits mechanism to those who help. This happens all the time at the human relationships level (for example: in the case of mutual friendships). Differences between altruism and institutional altruism are as follows: - Altruism: The benefits returned from the original recipient to the donor. - Institutional altruism: To secure a donor from other individuals in the social system of which they are a part (Merton, 1982). Parsons pays attention to the fact that the most significant differences in the types of human motivation are a dichotomy between ‘altruistic’ and ‘egoistic’ motives (Parsons, 1939). According to this, dichotomy correlates with the identification of specific motives in different spheres of human activity: a businessman is seen as selfishly pursuing his own interest, whilst professional people altruistically serve the interests of others (Parsons, 1939). Merton (1982) considers not so much altruistic professionals but the process of institutionalisation of altruism in society. In this regard, the task of sociology is explaining the structural basis of altruistic actions, which implies behaviour and helping others at the expense of attendant (Merton, 1982). It is implied that the behaviour assistant receives less profit than if he/she did not behave altruistically (Merton, 1982). Moreover, this phenomenon is not limited to material benefits, but includes other parameters, such as prestige, respect, power (Merton, 1982)