Self-sacrifice

Self-sacrifice is the giving up of something that a person wants for themselves, so that others can be helped or protected, or so that other external values can be advanced or protected. Generally, an act of self-sacrifice conforms to the rule that it does not serve the person’s best self-interest, and will leave the person in a worse situation than the person otherwise would have been.

Two other common types of sacrifice can easily be confused with self-sacrifice, but do not conform to this rule. The first involves giving up on interests accidentally or unintentionally. This behaviour is frequently engaged in during everyday life even in attempting to serve self-interests, without people being aware of it. A second type of sacrifice involves willfully forgoing a minor benefit in favour of a greater benefit, even while such an action feels like a sacrifice. However, if the action results in deferred gratification, it does not involve a true cost.

Although there have been many heroic events of self-sacrifice worth eulogizing, in recent decades suicide terrorism, a violent form of self-sacrifice, has been more prevalent and drawn widespread attention. An estimated 3,500 such assaults were reported in the three decades prior to 2014.