Self-sacrifice

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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.^[1][2][3] 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.^{[attribution needed][4]} 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^{[clarification needed]} and drawn widespread attention. An estimated 3,500 such assaults were reported in the three decades prior to 2014.^[5]