The contribution of the individual to the group’s social capital: the structure of altruistic investment

Abstract

The article sets theoretical ground for the content and structure of the “altruistic investment” networking strategy as one of the strategies of individual social behavior. Altruistic investment is based, firstly, on the value of a benevolent attitude toward all people; secondly, the desire of the individual to improve the “social situation” for all its participants and thirdly, it involves conscious action for the sake of the common good, namely, investing resources in maintaining positive group norms and protecting justice. The study used the modified social dilemmas, “Public good dilemma” and “Dictator game under third-party punishment”. Using structural modeling in a sample of 362 people, it was found that the empirical data correspond to the a priori model of altruistic investment in the group’s social capital. The structure of the networking strategy of the individual contains the value, motivational and be havioral components. The role of altruistic investment in the formation of the social capital of the group is shown.