Previous research shows that being in a situation of economic scarcity promotes a more concrete mindset that motivates behavioral decisions based on action difficulty and their short-term outcomes, which frequently entails negative consequences. However, a concrete mindset can be counteracted by inducing an abstract mindset to help people focus on final broad goals. We explored how focusing on transcendent motives (vs. self-oriented) promotes a more abstract mindset facilitating prosocial behavioral intentions. Study 1 (pre-post design) explored whether focusing on transcendent motives for engaging in activities promoted a more abstract mindset compared to focusing on self-oriented motives. Using a 2 × 2 design with two consecutive opposing primes, Study 2 tested how inducing a transcendent orientation could reverse the effect caused by perceiving economic scarcity, promoting greater orientation toward others and prosocial behavioral intentions. In Study 1 participants who generated transcendent motives for behaviors presented a greater increase in the abstraction of construal level, compared to those who only generated self-oriented motives for the same behaviors. Study 2 demonstrated that, when participants who perceived economic scarcity were focused on transcendent motives (vs. self-oriented) to promote a more abstract mindset, their orientation toward others increased. Interestingly, for people perceiving economic scarcity, whose own difficulties could reduce prosocial behaviors, the greater orientation toward others promoted a greater intention to engage in demanding prosocial behaviors. We provide evidence of new strategies to promote abstraction in individuals and increase their involvement in prosocial behavioral intentions, especially for those perceiving economic scarcity.

中文翻译：

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打破感知经济稀缺的人的自我中心导向：超越动机对促进抽象思维和亲社会行为意图的影响

先前的研究表明，处于经济稀缺的情况下会促进一种更具体的心态，这种心态会激发基于行动难度及其短期结果的行为决策，而这往往会带来负面后果。然而，可以通过引入抽象思维来抵消具体思维，以帮助人们专注于最终的广泛目标。我们探讨了关注超越动机（相对于自我导向）如何促进更抽象的心态，从而促进亲社会行为意图。研究 1（前后设计）探讨了与关注自我导向的动机相比，关注参与活动的超越动机是否会促进更抽象的思维方式。研究 2 使用具有两个连续相反素数的 2 × 2 设计，测试了如何引入超越取向来扭转因感知经济稀缺而造成的影响，促进对他人和亲社会行为意图的更大取向。在研究 1 中，与那些只为相同行为产生自我导向动机的参与者相比，那些为行为产生先验动机的参与者在解释水平的抽象方面表现出更大的提高。研究 2 表明，当感知到经济稀缺的参与者专注于超越动机（相对于自我导向）以促进更抽象的思维方式时，他们对他人的导向就会增强。有趣的是，对于那些认为经济匮乏的人来说，他们自己的困难可能会减少亲社会行为，而对他人的更大的导向会促使他们更愿意从事高要求的亲社会行为。我们提供了新策略的证据，以促进个人的抽象性并增加他们对亲社会行为意图的参与，特别是对于那些感知到经济稀缺的人。