Is Helping People a Matter of Giving Them What They Need or Want?

It’s not as clear-cut as one would think.

Photo by Francesco Tommasini on Unsplash

We are not born with the inclination to help others. Human beings are selfish by nature; it’s a survival mechanism. But help is subjective. What is help? Can you do something for someone thinking you are helping them when you aren’t? Do you help people by giving them what they need or what they want?

The answer might not be as clear-cut as one would think. It’s important to remember that needs come before wants, but that doesn’t mean giving someone what they want isn’t helpful. Meeting someone’s wishes can help fulfill their needs in some way or another.

If help is making someone feel better in the moment, it would be more likely that providing comfort would help people more than solving their problems. But, if help means assisting others to become better people and improve their lives, it may benefit individuals to give them what they need rather than what they want.

The truth is that helping people might be more effective if you can help them fig…