The moderating value of guiding life principles on the predicted attachment security and prosocial attitudes for the moral personality

The current study assessed the extent to which guiding life principles moderate the predicted effects of attachment security and prosocial attitudes on the moral personality via chronic risk-taking behavior. Participants completed a series of self-report questionnaires designed to assess attachment style, prosocial dispositions, and personal values. Chronic risk-taking behavior was assessed using a computer simulated Public Goods Paradigm (PGP) designed to elicit thoughts, feelings, and concerns similar to those experienced by prosocial oriented individuals. The paradigm provided individuals with the opportunity to contribute to the good of others by engaging in behavior that involved the risk of personal loss. Consistent with the proposed hypotheses, attachment security, as indicated by low levels of avoidance, predicted chronic risk-taking behavior. Moreover, benevolence and security predicted chronic risk-taking behavior when mediated by universalism. Such findings are consistent with the basic tenets of attachment theory and suggest that general welfare may lie at the root of that which motivates individuals to engage in acts of generosity that require the endorsement of values that are focused on social justice.