Kin selection specifically focuses on behaviors directed at:

Kin selection is a concept in evolutionary biology that explains how certain behaviors, particularly altruistic ones, can evolve through the benefits they confer to relatives, rather than to the individual performing the behavior. This is rooted in the idea that by helping relatives, an individual indirectly ensures the propagation of shared genes. When organisms preferentially direct their altruistic behaviors towards their relatives, they increase the survival and reproductive success of those relatives, thereby enhancing their own inclusive fitness.

In this context, behaviors that are advantageous to kin—like protecting offspring, assisting siblings, or sharing resources—are examples of kin selection in action. The genetic relatedness between individuals plays a crucial role in determining how these behaviors are favored by natural selection. Thus, kin selection specifically prioritizes interactions among relatives, fostering cooperation and altruism within familial groups, which can lead to increased survival for genes shared within those familial lines.