Coping Mechanism Thesaurus Entry: Altruism

When a character suffers emotional pain, the brain’s response is to stop the discomfort, and often this results in a coping mechanism being deployed. Whether it’s an automatic response or a learned go-to strategy, a mechanism helps them cope with the stress of the moment or escape the hurt of it.

But if the character develops an unhealthy reliance on that mechanism, problems will arise. Long-term, certain coping behaviors will impair their connections with others, their ability to achieve goals and dreams, and their ability to handle life’s pressures.

At some point, they must have an Aha! moment where they realize their coping method is holding them back and seek other ways to deal with stress. Namely, they’ll have to adopt healthier mechanisms that enable them to manage difficulties and ultimately have a happier future.

To help you write your character’s growth (or regression) journey, we’ve created The Coping Mechanism Thesaurus, which contains a range of coping mechanisms. The one we’re highlighting today can help your character better manage painful emotions and stress. Use this partial entry to show readers the character is choosing more productive strategies that will build resilience.

Altruism Definition

Being concerned for the welfare of others and selflessly acting to help 

What It May Look Like

Stepping in to help, unasked (grabbing the door for someone carrying a burden, picking up an item someone dropped and returning it, acting quickly to catch a dog that slipped their owner’s leash)
Giving time to causes
Running errands for those who need help
Donating items to a charity shop or organization
Random acts of kindness

Internal Struggles

Wanting to help but not knowing how
Feeling guilt at ‘benefiting’ (say, experiencing a rush of wellbeing due to the act, or it resulting in reciprocity or a reward)
Clashing responsibilities (e.g., wanting to donate but the family’s rent is due)
Having good intentions but accidentally making things worse
Being disappointed if a kindness isn’t acknowledged or appreciated

Challenges That Will Test the Character

Wanting to help but not feeling qualified
Being considerate by default, but not wanting to reward someone’s bad behavior
Wanting to help but having a time constraint
Something coming up that requires the character to walk back their offer to help
Wanting to restrict help or support because that person is acting entitled to it

Basic Human Needs It Could Fill

Esteem and Recognition: Practicing altruism can allow a character to make amends. For example, a convicted impaired driver could speak at high schools, sharing their story and the deadly cost of mistakes.
Love and Connection: When there’s friction between people, altruism can be the olive branch that helps the relationship heal.
Safety and Security: Providing help after a natural disaster could make a character feel that wider stability is being restored, improving their own sense of security. 

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed and expanded, the rest of our descriptive collection (18 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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Source: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2025/11/coping-mechanism-altruism/