Giving More or Taking More? The Dual Effect of Self-Esteem on Cooperative Behavior In Social Dilemmas

Abstract

How does self-esteem influence cooperative behavior in social dilemmas? The findings of previous studies are inconsistent and ignore the distinction between giving and taking dilemmas. The present study examined self-esteem and cooperative behavior's relationship in giving and taking dilemmas. The results revealed that self-esteem positively predicted cooperative behavior in giving dilemmas but negatively predicted cooperative behavior in taking dilemmas (Study 1). This can be attributed to differential account attention and pathways to perceived competence: In the giving dilemma, individuals paid more attention to public accounts and perceived giving more as more competent, whereas in the taking dilemma, individuals paid more attention to personal accounts and perceived taking more as more competent (Study 2). Changing account attention (by framing the giving-some, keeping-some, leaving-some, and taking-some dilemmas; Study 3) and pathways to perceived competence (by associating contributing to the public interest with competence vs. pursuing a personal interest with competence; Study 4) influenced self-esteem's effect on cooperative behavior between the two dilemmas. These findings have implications for reconciling previous inconsistencies and understanding the mechanisms underlying the dual effect of self-esteem on cooperation and provide references for cooperative nudges for individuals with differing degrees of self-esteem.

Keywords: self-esteem, cooperative behavior, giving dilemma, taking dilemma, account attention, pathways to perceived competence