Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Self-Serving Bias01:29

Self-Serving Bias

6
Self-serving bias is a cognitive phenomenon in which individuals attribute positive outcomes to internal factors such as their abilities, intelligence, or effort while attributing negative outcomes to external circumstances. This cognitive distortion helps maintain self-esteem but can also impede objective self-assessment.Theoretical Explanations of Self-Serving BiasTwo primary theories explain the self-serving bias: the cognitive explanation and the motivational explanation.The cognitive...
6
Egoism and Altruism01:55

Egoism and Altruism

92.2K
Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people is called prosocial behavior. Why do people help other people? Is personal benefit such as feeling good about oneself the only reason people help one another?
92.2K
Protecting Self-Esteem01:27

Protecting Self-Esteem

4
Self-esteem, a central component of psychological well-being, is actively maintained through various cognitive and behavioral strategies. Individuals employ specific mechanisms to preserve a positive self-concept and mitigate threats to their self-worth, particularly in contexts involving social evaluation or personal feedback. Four primary techniques are commonly used to sustain self-esteem.Manipulating AppraisalsOne prominent strategy involves manipulating appraisals from others. Individuals...
4
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

18.5K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.  
18.5K
Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

7
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
7
Psychodynamic Perspectives on Personality01:27

Psychodynamic Perspectives on Personality

1.1K
The psychodynamic perspective in psychology asserts that most personality functions operate unconsciously, outside of awareness. This means that the motives and emotions driving behavior often remain hidden, automatically buried in the unconscious mind as a defense mechanism to shield us from psychological distress. According to this theory, the unconscious mind contains thoughts, memories, and emotions that are too disturbing to face directly.
Psychodynamic theorists argue that unconscious...
1.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A reporting checklist for large language models in behavioural science.

Nature human behaviour·2026
Same author

Concluding that romantic relationships matter more to men than to women is too simple.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

Variability in how people seek significance and fall in love.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2026
Same author

The uncritical adoption of AI in science is alarming - we urgently need guard rails.

Nature·2026
Same author

Beyond attention: methylphenidate reduces dishonesty in healthy adults.

Psychopharmacology·2026
Same author

Decomposing the neurocomputational mechanisms of deontological moral preferences.

PNAS nexus·2026
Same journal

Imagine No Resources: Attention Is Selection and Normalization for Choice.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Children's Third-Party Punishment Reveals a Genuine Concern for Fairness and Justice.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Chaos Theory and Child Development: Quantifying Nonlinear Pathways of Growth.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Formal Modeling as Theoretical Glue between Laboratory and Naturalistic Studies of Memory.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Growing Technological Opacity and the Social Brain.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
Same journal

Bringing the Reading Sciences Into the Classroom: Insights for Phonics Instruction.

Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 26, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.1K

Psychological Selfishness.

Ryan W Carlson1, Chance Adkins1, M J Crockett1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Yale University.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science
|April 18, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study redefines selfishness as a psychological construct, focusing on situational self-benefit that disregards others. Understanding this psychological selfishness is key to maintaining social cohesion and relationships.

Keywords:
emotionexpectationsmoralitymotivationselfishness

More Related Videos

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

813
Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
06:05

Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships

Published on: April 20, 2022

2.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 26, 2025

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children
07:01

Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Self-distancing in Young Children

Published on: March 1, 2019

8.1K
The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies
08:24

The Joint Effect of Social Comparison and Social Distance on Evaluation of Intertemporal Choice Outcomes in Event-related Potential Studies

Published on: August 25, 2023

813
Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships
06:05

Employing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in a Resource Limited Environment to Establish Brain-Behavior Relationships

Published on: April 20, 2022

2.0K

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Social Psychology
  • Moral Psychology

Background:

  • Selfishness is central to moral theories but its psychological underpinnings are under-explored.
  • Existing conceptions from biology, economics, and philosophy offer limited psychological insight.
  • A gap exists in understanding the psychological nature of selfishness.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel psychological framework for understanding selfishness.
  • To reframe selfishness as a psychological construction.
  • To explore the implications of this psychological construct for social life and interdisciplinary research.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis and theoretical framework development.
  • Defining selfishness as a situation-specific desire to benefit the self, disregarding others' desires and social expectations.
  • Examining the role of detecting and deterring psychological selfishness.

Main Results:

  • Selfishness is proposed as a psychological construct, perceived when individuals prioritize self-benefit over others.
  • Detecting and deterring this psychological selfishness is vital for social cohesion and relationships.
  • The psychological framework offers a richer understanding of human social behavior.

Conclusions:

  • A psychological construct of selfishness provides a more nuanced understanding of human behavior.
  • This framework can enhance interdisciplinary research on selfishness.
  • It offers potential insights for interventions addressing negative effects of selfishness.