Better you than me: An experiment on the relationship of scapegoating and severity of consequences to self-preservation

• Main Authors: Gayo, Liselle Marie Dahlen, Tan, Fernando Celi, Jr., Ysip, Analiela Paulino, Samantha, Nicole Gaw
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2014
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/11850
• Institution: De La Salle University

"Better you than me". This sentence defines the very essence of self-preservation which is when one chooses to save one's self no matter what the consequences towards others may be. The purpose of this research was to identify the following: (1) how does the identity of the scapegoat (friend or stranger) impact one's decision to admit to the transgression (2) how does the severity of the consequences impact one's decision to admit to transgression and (3) when is the transgressor likely to resort to self-preservation. 120 participants from De La Salle University participated in this between subjects experiment, all between the ages of 18 to 23 (M=19.90, SD=1.17), 59 of which were female and 61 male. The researchers used descriptive vignettes as the stimulus material and a set of questions that made use of a feeling scale. The results of study show that that if the type of consequence is severe then the participant is likely to self preserve. The results also show that one is more likely to help one's friend only if the consequences are severe, if the consequences are light then one is more likely to self preserve. The opposite is true for those who fell under the no scapegoat conditions and that no matter the type of consequence, one is always likely to help a stranger.