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 the face of social dilemmas? The findings of previous studies are inconsistent and ignore the distinction between giving and taking dilemmas. This study examined the relationship between self-esteem and cooperative behavior 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 the public account 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 the pathways to perceived competence (by associating contributing to the public interest with competence versus pursuing a personal interest with competence; Study 4) influenced the effect of self-esteem 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; they also provide references for cooperative nudges for individuals with differing degrees of self-esteem.