Social Dominance Orientation and Selfish Behaviors in Chinese Adolescents: the Mediating Role of Psychological Entitlement

Selfish behaviors widely occur in adolescence and can be detrimental to adolescents’ moral development and social well-being. However, little is known about the antecedents of selfish behaviors among adolescents in collectivist samples (e.g., East Asia). As social dominance orientation (SDO) is negatively related to morality and concerns about others, we aim to understand whether and how individual differences in SDO predict people’s intention to engage in selfish behaviors among Chinese adolescents. We hypothesize that people high in SDO would display higher level of psychological entitlement and, in turn, be more likely to engage in selfish behaviors. To examine this hypothesis, we measured SDO, psychological entitlement, and selfish behavioral intentions using hypothetical scenarios among 254 middle school students aged 12–18 years in China. The results demonstrated that, compared to middle school students low in SDO, those high in SDO reported stronger selfish behavioral intentions, and this effect was partially mediated by psychological entitlement. Directions for future research and implications for interventions to curb selfish behaviors among adolescents are discussed.