Have you ever wondered what drives you? Why you act in a certain way in a situation. What makes you think in a certain way? Why you speak out on a certain course of action you believe in? Well you can lay your mind to rest, as you are not alone. You are just one of countless billions who ponder their motivations daily. Yet the answer to these questions is simple. And incredibly complex. You are a perfectly normal person, acting on self-interest. Always.
Now this may sound very cynical so before you “switch off” here, let us first clear up what this means. The Oxford English Dictionary defines this as follows: –
- One’s personal interest or advantage, especially when pursued without regard for others. “the assumption that individuals are primarily motivated by self-interest”
Yes, your personal self-interest is very important. It is a basic drive that allows you to survive in a hostile world. However, the definition is out of date and needs serious revising. In our complex world of “needs” today, we need to re-evaluate self-interest against just what our needs are. Now I have no desire to dwell in the “la la land” of philosophy. Instead, let us just take this apart a bit in terms of Maslow’s hierarchy; do a bit of soul searching.
Maslow and Self-interest
In short, Maslow’s pyramid is a motivational theory (yes theory, not fact) in our psychology of life “needs”. He believes we “climb” this magic pyramid of needs throughout our life. Therefore, we must satisfy the lower “needs” before we can aspire to higher levels on the pyramid.
It is a great start but with due respect to Maslow, I think it is more like “Snakes ‘n Ladders”. However, for the moment, let us accept this, and look at our true motivations in life. We obviously do need to start at the bottom. Absolutely essential or else the end-result could be that we die! You have to have air, food, drink. Shelter, warmth, sleep are also essential to our self-interests, survival. As we further explore this, let’s use easy references of Tiers 1 thru 8, with T1 at the bottom.
What we see and don’t see so clearly
When we look at a Tier 1 level, we see some hard examples and ponder, “Is this totally correct”? We see the readily evident, highly visual examples daily of self-interest. Starving people will fight over limited food. Cold people will huddle closest to a fire. Two (or more) men fight for the same woman.
Then we see the so-called “contradictions” where self-interest is not evident. We will see news articles of “self-sacrificing” altruistic behaviour that defies the concept of “self-interest”. A mother who would prefer to starve whilst providing food for her children. A missionary worker who devotes their life in extreme hardship. A billionaire who throws away their life long fortunes into philanthropic endeavours. Therefore, we applaud these people on their “self-sacrificing” behaviours. However, are they really self-sacrificing? Could they be simply acting out of self-interest in a different form?
Analysing the mind-set. Scenario 1, the dutiful parent
In order to understand the “self-interest” angle, we need to understand the mind of the individual in question. A few examples are in order so you understand how self-interest is guiding the person.
- Scenario #1: A starving mother gives their last food to their starving child.
- Analysis #1 : Complex T3, T4, T5 levels of self-interest. Family & relationship (T3) are very important to any good mother. Moreover, Responsibility (T4) will weigh heavily on her decision. Finally Self-awareness (T5) of what is more important to her. Her life or the child’s? There are no contradictions here. She acted in her own self-interest of “needs” to make her decisions.
Scenario 2, the Missionary
- Scenario #2: A missionary who spends 20 years in soup kitchens rendering aid to disadvantaged communities.
- Analysis #2 : Complex T4, T5, T7, T8 levels of self-interest. The individual will feel like they are “making a difference” which provides an immense inner feeling of Achievement (T4). Which in turn, gives their life Meaning (T5). They are Fulfilling (T7) their hopes of being a better person and in terms, Helping other to grow (T8). There are no contradictions here with clear self-interest. The missionary is simply acting out of personal interest, fulfilling their needs. The fact that others benefit is one of the reasons the current definition though is out-dated. As you can clearly see, self-interest in this case revolves heavily on the regard for others.
Scenario 3, the Billionaire turned Philanthropist
- Scenario #3: The billionaire turned philanthropist, the “Bill Gates” syndrome.
- Analysis #3 : All Tiers, but always guided by self-interest. Bill is an entrepreneur and businessman whose name is of course synonymous with Microsoft. Founder and ruthless competitor in the 80’s and 90’s, totally satisfying his earlier T1 thru T5 life needs. Safety, Family, Achievement, Meaning were his earlier expressions of self-interest.
- Yet he left Microsoft in 2000 and founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Maturity lent him a different perspective to life. With a fortune of $46.8 billion in assets, his needs also matured. He needed Balance in his life (T6), which led to Personal growth and self-fulfilment (T7) in his desires to help others (T8). As you can clearly see, no contradictions with personal interests. Yet his new course and direction is with high regard to others.
Self-Interest, compassion & food for the soul
The strangest part of self-interest is that at times, regardless of what Tier we are currently focused on, we need “something” else. I will not attempt to force it into a specific Tier, but rather just call it “food for the soul”. Without delving into spirituality, think of it as a need to feel good about ourselves. We do this in many ways, at many points of our live.
For example, your focus is basic survival (T1-T2), yet share food & shelter with others. Alternatively, have a family & friends (T3); yet take time to welcome others less fortunate into your lives. Are you in a good job with a good reputation: yet walked down a street and compulsively offered food or money to a homeless person? You then ponder where this “weird urge” came from.
Do not fight these urges, as they are good for you. They are “flashes” of a different level of maturity within yourself where you are becoming “self-aware” (T5). You inner self is demonstrating balance in your life (T6), growing (T7) towards a T8 need of self-actualisation (helping others). It is all part of the journey we call “life”!
Are you a bad person?
So if I allow self-interest to guide me, am I a bad person? Not necessarily, no. However, if you don’t acknowledge it within yourself, it can cause immense confusion and chaos in your life. Our subconscious mind works to protect us, but it is not always apparent how it does this. Nevertheless, it does protect us by guiding us to paths that serve our interest best.
What we need to be careful of is fighting this inner guide. It can lead to some very bad decisions out of fear of being viewed as “selfish”. By recognising you are simply on a different tier of “needs”, you can develop your inner self. Work with your subconscious and discover if your goals are in line with your self-interests. Then bring them into sync. Self-interest is not a bad thing, just misunderstood!
