Narcissistic altruism (altruistic narcissism)
An oxymoron that's true.
Everyone who does good things does them because it makes them feel good, because the effort and the donation is worth more than it costs. (And it might be a donation to a charity or merely helping out a neighbor or contributing to a community project).
Some people contribute because of the story they are able to tell themselves about the work they're doing.
Many people do good things because they like the attention that it brings. Because it feels good to have others see you did good.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy annually ranks the top 50 gifts of the year. And every year, virtually all of them are gifts to hospitals and colleges.
One reason: you get your name on a building.
Many people who work to gain support for good causes don't like this, it feels like a tax on their work, but a building rarely gets worse if it has someone's name on it.
It's totally valid to offer a product or service that only appeals to the minority who aren't slightly narcissistic, who seek a different story. But it's a mistake to believe that just because you're 'right' (quotes deliberately used) that your story will match their worldview.
If you want to make it more likely that someone contributes (to anything), it might be worth investing a few cycles figuring out how to give them credit, public, karmic or somewhere in between.
More Recent Articles
- "No one clicked on it, no one liked it..."
- Going to the edges
- Sloppy ties
- Alphagrams
- Promotion, demotion and opportunity
[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]
Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.
Click here to view mailing archives, here to change your preferences, or here to subscribe • Privacy
Postări
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu