A SOCIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF ALTRUISM: THE CASE OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

This paper explores the phenomenon of altruism from a sociological perspective. Altruism and prosocial behavior have been the subject of study for moral philosophers for centuries. Although this research does not focus on philosophical questions regarding whether or not altruism exists, it does discuss the origins of the concept in sociology, which are based on philosophical ideas. The central focus is altruistic action. Of particular interest is why individuals are motivated to act altruistically and how or under what circumstances, personal and social, such behavior is stimulated. Amnesty International (AI) has been selected as a case study that facilitates studying altruism under a different light, in a collective setting. The present research indicates that members of the organization do appear to behave in altruistic ways.