title: Personality and prosocial behavior: linking basic traits and social value orientations.
abstract: Concerning the dispositional determinants of prosocial behavior and cooperation, work based on the classic 5 personality factors, and especially Agreeableness, has turned out somewhat inconsistent. A clearer picture has emerged from consideration of the HEXACO model of personality--though supported entirely by hypothetical behavior as criterion, so far. Thus, in 2 studies and a reanalysis, we investigated "actual behavior" in the form of individually and socially consequential distribution decisions. As expected, HEXACO Honesty-Humility consistently predicted prosocial behavior, including a theory-consistent pattern on the facet level. Importantly, this pattern might explain why five-factor Agreeableness has only sometimes been found to account for prosocial behavior. Indeed, further results indicate that five-factor Agreeableness comprises some aspects that are predictive of prosocial behavior--aspects well covered by HEXACO Honesty-Humility--but also others that play no role for this criterion. As such, the links between five-factor Agreeableness and prosocial behavior are well-covered by HEXACO Honesty-Humility, but not vice versa. Taken together, these findings hint that especially HEXACO Honesty-Humility (and certain aspects of five-factor Agreeableness) account for prosocial behavior--thus explaining previous inconsistencies and providing a more nuanced understanding of the links between basic personality and prosocial or cooperative behavior.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences.
authors.forename: Benjamin E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Hilbig
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Göttingen.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Glöckner
authors.affiliation: Center for Educational Science and Psychology, University of Tübingen.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zettler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D012945:Social Values; D055815:Young Adult