Knowing

Oneself and Helping Another: Strong Cultural Iden:ty Predicts Altruism

Alissa J. Mrazek1,2
1Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA. 2Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY USA.

IntroducFon
Cultural ideas, beliefs and values shape human cooperaFon (Henrich et al. 2003)1. Degree of cultural idenFcaFon > Culture (Wayman & Lynch 1991)2. Clear, posiFve self-concept condent, construcFve, and eecFve behavior (BauFsta et al., 1994)3. High self-esteem (Penner & Fritzsche, 1993)4 and low need for approval (Carlo et al., 1991)5 altruism. Cultural idenFty fusion altruism toward ingroup members in trolley dilemmas (Swann, et al., 2010)6.
Self-Reported Altruism
4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0

Results: Study 1
Correla:on Between Cultural Iden:ca:on and Altruism
r = 0.163 p = 0.005

Results: Study 2
N = 46 *p < .05 ** p < .01 ***p < .001

Cultural IdenFcaFon
7

Inuences on Charitable Dona:ons

Self-Reported Altruism

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0

Correla:on Between Cultural Par:cipa:on and Altruism

Replica:ng results from Study 1, behavioral altruism correlates with:

r = 0.262 p < 0.001

(1 )Cultural par:cipa:on (2) Cultural iden:ca:on (3) Self-Reported Altruism

Donated Did not Donate

Frequency of Cultural ParFcipaFon

Methods: Study 2 QuesFon

Do degree of cultural idenFcaFon and frequency of cultural parFcipaFon inuence global altruisFc behavior? 46 undergraduates learned about 4 prominent chariFes ParFcipants were paid $8 for parFcipaFng Opportunity to donate money to charity of choice

Cultural ParFcipaFon

Degree of Cultural Self-Reported IdenFcaFon Altruism

Discussion
Cultural idenFcaFon (and frequency of cultural parFcipaFon) signicantly predicts self-reported altruism in a large cross-cultural sample and behavioral altruism, as measured by donaFons to chariFes Builds upon exisFng literature showing that group idenFty fusion predicts hypotheFcal altruism for ingroup members These eects of altruism are global rather than strictly for ingroup members

Hypothesis
Individuals with greater cultural iden:ca:on will report greater altruis:c tendencies and will donate more money to chari:es

Methods: Study 1
300 culturally diverse Cornell undergraduates completed a mulF- dimensional quesFonnaire

Hello H H H H

Doctors Without Borders

Cornell Annual Fund

Local Animal Shelter

UNICEF

Results may be due to strong, stable self-concepts (rather than sense of community), but future empirical work is necessary

References Acknowledgements
1) Henrich, J. et al., (2001). CooperaFon, reciprocity and punishment in eeen small-scale socieFes. American Economic Review, 91, 73-78. 2) Wayman & Lynch (1991 ). Home-based early childhood services: Cultural sensiFvity in a family systems approach. Topics in Early Childhood Special Educa:on, 10, 56-75. 3) BauFstsa, Y.B., Crawford, I., & Wolfe, A.S. (1994). Ethnic idenFty and self-concept in Mexican-American adolescents: Is bicultural idenFty related to stress or beher adjustment? Child and Youth Care Forum, 23, 197-206. 4) Penner & Fritzsche, (1995). Measuring the prosocial personality. In J. Butcher & C.D. Spielberger (Eds.) Advances in Personality Assessment. (Vol. 10). Hillsdale, NJ: LEA. 5) Carlo, G. et al., (1991). The altruisFc personality: In what contexts is it apparent? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61 (3), 450-458. 6) Swann, W.B. et al., (2010). Dying and killing for ones group: IdenFty fusion moderates responses to intergroup versions of the trolley problem. Psychological Science, 21, 1176-1183.

I would like to thank my thesis commihee for their support on this project: Dr. David Pizarro, Dr. James Maas, and Dean Ken Gabard