TY - JOUR

T1 - The dynamics of humanistic and biospheric altruism in conflicting choice environments

AU - Conte, Beatrice

AU - Hahnel, Ulf J.J.

AU - Brosch, Tobias

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors

PY - 2021/4

Y1 - 2021/4

N2 - People's engagement in altruistic behaviors depends on the relative importance given to values of humanistic altruism (HA) and biospheric altruism (BA). Specifically, while HA is considered the value base for prosocial behavior, BA is considered the value base of pro-environmental behavior. Despite the clear conceptual distinction, the two values often similarly correlate with outcome variables such as attitudes or choices and lead to ambiguous findings on the common versus unique impact of HA and BA on prosocial and pro-environmental behaviors. Here, we propose that the two types of altruism result in unique behavioral outcomes when they compete with each other, i.e., when people are forced to prioritize one value over the other. In two studies (Ntotal = 1163), we provided evidence for the assumed operational distinction between HA and BA. Moreover, we tested the self-activation hypothesis, the assumption that value centrality moderates the relationship between value activation and value expressive behavior. Results revealed that the experimental activation of HA and BA led to more value congruent behavior in people with high value centrality, but to reactance effects in people with low value centrality. Overall, this article offers new insight for the development of comprehensive theories of altruistic behavior.

AB - People's engagement in altruistic behaviors depends on the relative importance given to values of humanistic altruism (HA) and biospheric altruism (BA). Specifically, while HA is considered the value base for prosocial behavior, BA is considered the value base of pro-environmental behavior. Despite the clear conceptual distinction, the two values often similarly correlate with outcome variables such as attitudes or choices and lead to ambiguous findings on the common versus unique impact of HA and BA on prosocial and pro-environmental behaviors. Here, we propose that the two types of altruism result in unique behavioral outcomes when they compete with each other, i.e., when people are forced to prioritize one value over the other. In two studies (Ntotal = 1163), we provided evidence for the assumed operational distinction between HA and BA. Moreover, we tested the self-activation hypothesis, the assumption that value centrality moderates the relationship between value activation and value expressive behavior. Results revealed that the experimental activation of HA and BA led to more value congruent behavior in people with high value centrality, but to reactance effects in people with low value centrality. Overall, this article offers new insight for the development of comprehensive theories of altruistic behavior.

KW - Biospheric altruism

KW - Humanistic altruism

KW - Pro-environmental behavior

KW - Prosocial behavior

KW - Reactance

KW - Value activation

KW - Values

KW - Psychology

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100010925&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110599

DO - 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110599

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:85100010925

VL - 173

JO - Personality and Individual Differences

JF - Personality and Individual Differences

SN - 0191-8869

M1 - 110599

ER -