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Facing Yourself - A Note on Self-image

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  • Armin Falk

Abstract

Numerous signaling models in economics assume image concerns. These take two forms, as relating either to social image or self-image. While empirical work has identified the behavioral importance of the former, little is known about the role of self-image concerns. We exogenously vary self-image concerns in manipulating self-directed attention and study the impact on moral behavior. The choice context in the experiment is whether subjects inict a painful electric shock on another subject to receive a monetary payment. Three between-subjects conditions are studied. In the main treatment, subjects see their own face on the decision screen in a real-time video feed. In the two control conditions, subjects see either no video at all or a neutral video. We find that the exogenous increase in self-image concerns significantly reduces the fraction of subjects inflicting pain.

Suggested Citation

  • Armin Falk, 2017. "Facing Yourself - A Note on Self-image," CESifo Working Paper Series 6428, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_6428
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    Cited by:

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    2. Falk, Armin & Boneva, Teodora & Chopra, Felix, 2021. "Fighting Climate Change: the Role of Norms, Preferences, and Moral Values," CEPR Discussion Papers 16343, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Alberto Alesina & Marco Tabellini, 2024. "The Political Effects of Immigration: Culture or Economics?," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 62(1), pages 5-46, March.
    4. Fooken, Jonas, 2023. "Trusting when risk and ambiguity create opportunities for exploitation," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    5. Peter Andre & Teodora Boneva & Felix Chopra & Armin Falk, 2021. "Misperceived Social Norms and Willingness to Act Against Climate Change," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 101, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    6. Ferdinand A. von Siemens, 2020. "I care what you think: social image concerns and the strategic revelation of past pro-social behavior," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 6(1), pages 43-56, June.
    7. Bašić, Zvonimir & Verrina, Eugenio, 2024. "Personal norms — and not only social norms — shape economic behavior," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    8. Dimant, Eugen, 2023. "Beyond average: A method for measuring the tightness, looseness, and polarization of social norms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 233(C).
    9. Celhay, Pablo & Meyer, Bruce D. & Mittag, Nikolas, 2022. "Stigma in Welfare Programs," IZA Discussion Papers 15431, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Luca A. Panzone & Natasha Auch & Daniel John Zizzo, 2024. "Nudging the Food Basket Green: The Effects of Commitment and Badges on the Carbon Footprint of Food Shopping," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 87(1), pages 89-133, January.
    11. Gleue, Marvin & Harrs, Sören & Feldhaus, Christoph & Löschel, Andreas, 2024. "Identity and voluntary efforts for climate protection," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 436-476.
    12. Capra, C. Mónica & Jiang, Bing & Su, Yuxin, 2024. "Green self-image boosts online volunteering for environmental causes: Experimental evidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    13. Drouvelis, Michalis & Pearce, Graeme, 2023. "Is there a link between intelligence and lying?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 206(C), pages 182-203.
    14. Eilermann, Kerstin & Halstenberg, Katrin & Kuntz, Ludwig & Martakis, Kyriakos & Roth, Bernhard & Wiesen, Daniel, 2019. "The Effect of Expert Feedback on Antibiotic Prescribing in Pediatrics: Experimental Evidence," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2020:1, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    self-image; moral behavior;

    JEL classification:

    • D64 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
    • C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior

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