For information about the ADA, including the revised 2010 ADA regulations, please visit the Department's website www.ADA.gov; or, for answers to specific questions, call the toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (Voice) or 800-514-0383 (TTY).
Definition of altruism. 1  1 : unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others charitable acts motivated purely by altruism. 2  2 : behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to or may be harmful to itself but that benefits others of its species.
Altruism is one aspect of what social psychologists refer to as prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior refers to any action that benefits other people, no matter what the motive or how the giver benefits from the action. Remember, however, that pure altruism involves true selflessness.