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Entity morality beliefs increase prosocial behaviours: A self-attribution perspective
Zhixuan Lin1,2, Jing Lin1, Yu Kou1
1Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.
The British Journal of Social Psychology
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Individuals with entity beliefs, viewing traits as fixed, show more prosocial behavior and self-attribution. This holds even when helping is costly or difficult, unlike those with incremental beliefs.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Moral Psychology
Background:
- Entity beliefs posit traits are fixed, while incremental beliefs see them as malleable.
- Prior research links entity beliefs to harsher moral judgments, but less is known about their connection to prosocial behaviors from a self-attribution viewpoint.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between entity/incremental beliefs and prosocial behaviors.
- To explore the role of self-attribution in this relationship.
- To examine how prosocial costs and helping efficacy moderate these effects.
Main Methods:
- Correlational studies (N=1229, N=328) examined links between beliefs, prosociality, and self-attribution.
- An experimental study (N=167) manipulated beliefs to assess helping intentions.
- Further correlational studies (N=1737, N=183) tested moderation by prosocial cost and helping efficacy.
Main Results:
- Entity beliefs positively correlated with prosocial behaviors and self-trait attribution.
- Entity theorists, post-manipulation, showed greater helping intentions and self-trait attribution than incremental theorists.
- Entity theorists were less deterred by high costs or low efficacy in prosocial situations.
Conclusions:
- Entity beliefs are associated with increased prosocial behavior and self-attribution.
- Beliefs about trait malleability influence prosocial intentions and actions, especially under challenging conditions.
- Findings offer a nuanced understanding of entity and incremental beliefs in moral behavior.
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