The Influence Of Self-construal On Self-other Risky Decision Making

In our daily life,we often make decisions not just for ourselves,but also for others.However,decision-making for others may involve different behavioral patterns and psychophysiological mechanisms than decision-making for oneself.Despite extensive research,the question of whether there is a difference in risk preference between self and others decision-making remains unresolved.Some studies have suggested that decisionmaking for others is more risky,while others have found that individuals tend to be more cautious.Additionally,some studies have failed to find any differences between self and others decision-making.Researchers believe that the inconsistency of these results may stem from several factors,such as how we define "self" and "others," as well as the situational context in which decision-making occurs.Self-construal refer to how individuals perceive themselves in relation to others.Those with interdependent self-construal tend to prioritize fitting in with the group and being attentive to others’ emotions,while those with independent self-construal focus on being unique and prominent,and pay more attention to their own inner feelings.Selfconstrual can influence individuals’ focusing strategies,with interdependent selfconstrual inducing defensive focus and independent self-construal inducing promotion focus.The differences in focusing strategies can lead to different decision-making patterns and psychological mechanisms,resulting in self-other decision-making differences.Defensive focus tends to focus on negative information,while promotion focus focuses on positive information.However,it remains unclear whether individuals with different self-construal pay varying attention to profit value(positive information)and risk(negative information)in decision-making.Prospect theory suggests that individuals’ decision-making patterns differ under the context of profit and loss.Selfconstrual may cause individual differences in sensitivity to the profit and loss background.This study aims to explore the effects of self-construal and decision-making profit and loss background on individuals’ self-other decision-making risk preference,taking into account the dynamic nature of self-construal.Additionally,we aim to investigate whether stable interpersonal traits and transient state priming can lead to similar decision-making characteristics in self-other decision-making.This study comprises two parts that explore the self-other decision-making differences of individuals induced by trait self-construal and specific self-construal states.In the first study,we utilized the decision situation questionnaire and the laboratory task to investigate whether there were self-other risk decision differences among trait independent and interdependent self-construal,and whether the profit and loss background played a moderating role.The focus was on the long-term stabilizing effects of the trait "I." In the second study,we temporarily activated the self-construal state of the subjects to investigate whether the state-type self-construal group exhibited similar behavior patterns to the trait self-construal group.This investigation aimed to further clarify the role of self-construal and profit and loss background in self-other decisionmaking risk preferences.The focus was on the temporary inducement effect of the state "I."The results demonstrate that,firstly,the type of self-constructive thoughts affects the differences in risk decision-making.Independent self-constructing individuals tend to think more about their own decisions and take longer to make decisions for themselves compared to when making decisions for strangers.They also prefer low-risk options for their own decisions.However,there was no significant difference in decision-making speed and risk choice rate when independent self-constructing individuals decide for themselves and for others.Secondly,after starting the individual’s self-constructive state,a brief risk decision characteristic similar to that of independent self-constructing individuals appeared.When the startup group decides for strangers,they adopt a decision mode similar to decision-making when making decisions for themselves.Essentially,the starting group of independent self-conference pays more attention to high returns when deciding for others and chooses more adventurous options.They are more cautious when making decisions for themselves.Thirdly,there is a difference in risk decision-making based on the context of profit or loss.Regardless of whether individuals have an independent or self-constructing group,they tend to show a greater preference for riskseeking and think more about the loss of income compared to the income situation.In the context of income,individuals exhibit risk-seeking tendencies when deciding for others.However,they exhibit an aversion to risk when deciding for themselves,and there is no significant difference in risk rates for different decision-making beneficiaries in the situation of losses.In conclusion,self-construct is one of the factors influencing the difference in selfothers decision-making,and trait self-construal and state self-construal primes show similar behavior characteristics in self-others decision-making.So decision-making is not just a delicate tradeoff of interests,it’s also about social relationships.In social decisionmaking,different people have different priorities in evaluating themselves and others,and involve different social emotions and information cognitive processes.In addition,the profit and loss background is an important moderating variable for self-others decisions.The risk is higher in the loss situation than in the gain situation,and the difference in selfother decisions is greater.The results of this study enrich the research on the factors influencing the self-others difference in decision making,and help to further explain the possible psychological mechanism in the process of decision making.At the same time,it provides a behavioral basis for decision-making in reality and a new way of thinking for decision-making prediction and intervention.Future studies can comprehensively consider the complex correlation between self characteristics,others’ roles,decisionmaking background and self-others’ decision-making,and further explore the influencing factors of self-others’ decision-making differences from the aspects of psychological and physiological mechanisms.