Psychology Motivation, Emotion, and Social Behavior Concepts Practice Test

Self-transcendence represents a higher-level motivation that pushes people to go beyond personal needs and focus on something larger than themselves, such as helping others or pursuing a meaning bigger than individual goals. This makes it the best fit for doing things to aid others, because the drive is oriented outward toward the welfare of others or a greater cause rather than toward oneself. Love and belonging concerns social connections within groups, self-esteem is about respect and status for the individual, and self-actualization centers on realizing one’s own potential; none of these primary motivations center on altruistic action for others as consistently as self-transcendence does.