Does doing the right thing for the wrong reasons represent an issue not to be ignored? Doesn't it suffice to look at the actions without having to check the intentions behind them? This topic has always imposed some controversies and it is what Alfie Kohn decided to discuss in his article "The Wrong Way to Get People to Do the Right Thing”.
Kohn states that prosocial behavior and the idea of helping are full with ambiguities. He believes that, in our culture, the benefactor is almost always looking for what he may or must get in return.
He states multiple examples to support his thesis. For instance, he mentions the headlines of charities in magazines and how they always state the advantages of charitable acts on the benefactor.
Kohn also depicted the manifestation of this concept on public policy by presenting excerpts from newspaper articles demonstrating that the reasons behind adopting some policies have nothing to do with wanting to …show more content…
He supports his clause by providing a few experimental evidence proving that children who do not receive rewards or verbal reinforcement tend to be more generous. Another experiment proves that when seeking a reward people tend to think they’re less altruistic which leads them to act less prosocially. Thus not offering a reward is better in the long run.
While It’s possible to disagree with Kohn simply by admitting “the first self fulfilling prophecy” which consist in believing that we are indeed selfish by nature, I personally have to disagree. It’s undeniable that we can be a little too self conscious which makes us look after our needs and desires more than those of others. However, that does not deny the fact that we could be selfless. A simple proof for that is the solidarity that we witness during times of war and terror around the world as people stand hand in
Kohn states that prosocial behavior and the idea of helping are full with ambiguities. He believes that, in our culture, the benefactor is almost always looking for what he may or must get in return.
He states multiple examples to support his thesis. For instance, he mentions the headlines of charities in magazines and how they always state the advantages of charitable acts on the benefactor.
Kohn also depicted the manifestation of this concept on public policy by presenting excerpts from newspaper articles demonstrating that the reasons behind adopting some policies have nothing to do with wanting to …show more content…
He supports his clause by providing a few experimental evidence proving that children who do not receive rewards or verbal reinforcement tend to be more generous. Another experiment proves that when seeking a reward people tend to think they’re less altruistic which leads them to act less prosocially. Thus not offering a reward is better in the long run.
While It’s possible to disagree with Kohn simply by admitting “the first self fulfilling prophecy” which consist in believing that we are indeed selfish by nature, I personally have to disagree. It’s undeniable that we can be a little too self conscious which makes us look after our needs and desires more than those of others. However, that does not deny the fact that we could be selfless. A simple proof for that is the solidarity that we witness during times of war and terror around the world as people stand hand in