Breaking self‐focused orientation in people who perceive economic scarcity

The influence of transcendent motivation to promote an abstract mindset and prosocial behavioral intentions

Bibliographic Data

ID21391998
AuthorsBronwyn Laforet (0000-0002-7163-6458, Department of Social Psychology and Methodology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain), Pilar Carrera (0000-0002-5411-2097, Department of Social Psychology and Methodology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain), Amparo Caballero (0000-0001-5809-0940, Department of Social Psychology and Methodology Universidad Autónoma de Madrid Madrid Spain, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume65
Issue4
Pages607-616
Publication date2024-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.13009
PMID38348556
OpenAlexW4391785440
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited33

Previous research shows that being in a situation of economic scarcity promotes a more concrete mindset that motivates behavioral decisions based on action difficulty and their short‐term outcomes, which frequently entails negative consequences. However, a concrete mindset can be counteracted by inducing an abstract mindset to help people focus on final broad goals. We explored how focusing on transcendent motives (vs. self‐oriented) promotes a more abstract mindset facilitating prosocial behavioral intentions. Study 1 (pre‐post design) explored whether focusing on transcendent motives for engaging in activities promoted a more abstract mindset compared to focusing on self‐oriented motives. Using a 2 × 2 design with two consecutive opposing primes, Study 2 tested how inducing a transcendent orientation could reverse the effect caused by perceiving economic scarcity, promoting greater orientation toward others and prosocial behavioral intentions. In Study 1 participants who generated transcendent motives for behaviors presented a greater increase in the abstraction of construal level, compared to those who only generated self‐oriented motives for the same behaviors. Study 2 demonstrated that, when participants who perceived economic scarcity were focused on transcendent motives (vs. self‐oriented) to promote a more abstract mindset, their orientation toward others increased. Interestingly, for people perceiving economic scarcity, whose own difficulties could reduce prosocial behaviors, the greater orientation toward others promoted a greater intention to engage in demanding prosocial behaviors. We provide evidence of new strategies to promote abstraction in individuals and increase their involvement in prosocial behavioral intentions, especially for those perceiving economic scarcity

Economics · Mindset · Prosocial behavior · Scarcity · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology