Synonyms
Definition
Motivation for individual behavior predicated on the acknowledgment that furthering the interest of a referent group to which one belongs also serves the individual’s self-interest.
Enlightened self-interest is a product of balance among narrow self-interests, community or shared-interests, and altruistic or other-interests. Enlightened self-interest suggests that we cannot simply maximize or minimize any one particular aspect or dimension of our lives. We cannot be driven solely by greed, by altruism, or by concern for community. Instead, we must pay conscious attention to whether we are adequately meeting our needs as individuals, as members of some larger community or society, and as moral, ethically responsible humans. Quality of life is a consequence of harmony or balance among the three. Ikerd (1999)
When disaster strikes, small businesses and large corporations alike often rush to “pitch-in” to...
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Peake, W., Yates, M. (2023). Enlightened Self-Interest and Heroism. In: Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17125-3_231-1
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