The dynamics of humanistic and biospheric altruism in conflicting choice environments
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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in: Personality and Individual Differences, Jahrgang 173, 110599, 04.2021.
Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › begutachtet
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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 -