Specific Incident of Helping Behavior

Mushafau Ade Kukoyi
Social Psychology
10-29-05

Please share one specific incident of helping behavior you have engaged in that you consider to be altruistic helping. How might others see this incident as egoistic helping?

One specific incident of helping behavior in which I was involve in that could be considered altruistic, was an event that happened in 1989, while I was a college final year student, studying Fine Art.

I was invited for an interview with the occupational therapy department at the Lagos university teaching hospital and later introduced to Idowu Akinrolabu, a quadriplegic and asked if I could teach him how to paint with his mouth. I must confess that I was speechless, perplexed and disappointed, especially when I was informed that the patient could not pay the stipulated salary that I had previously requested.

However, I could not abandon the job simply on the ground of very poor salary, especially after listening to idowu's testimony, narrating the numbers of disappointment he had suffered from previous art teachers.

After all said and done, I accepted the job, not because I did not need the money but because my heart was filled with compassion and was touched by his predicament. I resolved within my heart to help him.

The relationship lasted for three years and he became more independent and influential within the country for his act of painting with his mouth.

Even though, I did not make money from Idowu immediately, Years later, I became famous within the country as the motivator and art teacher of the first mouth painting artist in the country and that really made me proud.

Although, many people might consider this act to have a hidden egoistic agenda, I totally disagree with such believes, It was simply out of a burden to help because it could happen to you or me.


Author's Contact: http://kukisart.com