The Core Tendencies Underlying Individual Differences in Prosocial Behavior

Individual differences between prosocial orientation and self-interest

Background
Human social interactions rely on prosocial behaviors such as helping, cooperation, and fairness, yet individuals vary widely in the extent to which they engage in such behaviors. While past research has primarily focused on single personality traits to explain this variation, theoretical assumptions about which dispositional tendencies drive prosocial behavior in specific social situations have not been sufficiently tested. 

Project Aims and Research Questions
The project addresses the following central questions:

• What core tendencies (i.e., the shared dispositional cores of conceptually related traits) and broad personality traits (e.g., the Dark Factor of Personality) underlie individual differences in prosocial behavior?
• How do these dispositions interact with situational features and individuals’ perceptions of situations to shape behavior?

Methodology
The project employs a multi-method approach, combining behavioral paradigms and surveys with meta-analytic and advanced modeling techniques for data analysis. In addition, it advances the measurement of situation perception by developing a new scale to capture individuals’ perceptions of situational affordances, providing insight into how the subjective interpretation of situations influences the expression of prosocial tendencies.

Expected Impact
The project offers a more comprehensive understanding of individual differences in prosocial behavior. Its findings contribute to theory development in personality and social psychology and enhance measurement approaches in the study of prosocial action.

Key Publications