Antagonistic personality trait patterns and cooperative behavior: A multi-component approach

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Although variation in basic personality traits is arguably adaptive, extreme trait levels can become individually maladaptive to the extent of producing problems in diverse areas, such as social interactions. Depending on the specific problems, different patterns of maladaptive trait levels can be distinguished, several of which are characterized by high antagonism or low trait Agreeableness, respectively. These >antagonistic trait patterns< (ATP) can be labeled corresponding to personality accentuation or personality disorder terms (i.e., antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and paranoid). Although high antagonism, or a reduced willingness to cooperate, respectively, is the common denominator of the ATPs, little is known about the exact nature and nuances of non-cooperation and the underlying determinants in terms of specific (maladaptive) basic traits. To this end, the present project introduces a fine-grained framework, differentiating between multiple components of cooperation (i.e., non-exploitation, non-retaliation, strategic considerations, and trust) and linking these to the ATPs with (basic) personality models forming the theoretical bridge. This multi-component approach yields exact hypotheses on which ATP relates to a low versus high willingness to cooperate in which specific aspect of cooperation and why, that is, which basic traits drive this link. Hypotheses are derived from the varied (and, at times, isolated) literature on basic personality, cooperation, and personality accentuations/disorders and are tested using different economic paradigms, each of which is designed to assess one component of cooperation. In sum, the project aims at providing a thorough understanding of the nuances of (non-)cooperative behavior in each of the ATPs (including the basic personality traits that drive these links).