Self-control and cooperation: different concepts, similar decisions? A question of the right perspective.
Conflicts between an individual's long-term and short-term goals (i.e., self-control conflicts) and conflicts between individual and collective interests (mixed-motive situations) share some interesting features. In this article both types of conflicts are approached from a perspective hypothesis. The hypothesis holds that a decision maker's perspective on his or her decision determines whether either the long-term goals (the collective interests) or the short-term goals (the individual interests) will guide behavior. The hypothesis also implies that factors known to enhance cooperative choices in mixed-motive situations should also facilitate self-control. Three such factors are evaluated: group identification, self-efficacy, and mutual trust. We conclude that the perspective in which choice is considered part of an identifiable series of behaviors is most likely to result in cooperation or self-control.
Dewitte
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Department of Psychology, University of Leuven, Belgium. siegfried.dewitte@psy.kuleven.ac.be
De Cremer
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D016265:Conflict of Interest; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012933:Social Identification