Aru Terbor was a senior psychology major focusing on behavioral psychology when he wrote this paper for an upper-level psychology-themed writing course. The assignment asked students to argue a...

Aru Terbor was a senior psychology major focusing on behavioral psychology when he wrote this paper for an upper-level psychology-themed writing course. The assignment asked students to argue a position by exploring a concept or set of related concepts in the field of behavioral psychology.

► Genres: Arguing a Position, Explaining Concepts, Cause and Effect Before you read, consider what you know about the concepts of empathetic and altruistic behavior. In what contexts have you heard these terms? What do you think they mean? As you read, think about altruistic behaviors you have engaged in. How would you describe your motivations for these behaviors?