Opportunistic Propensity Hinders Commitment to Acts in Conditions of Forced Compliance and Compliance without Pressure

Abstract

The psychosocial literature contains empirical evidence of the effects of personality variables on commitment to acts. The association of economic opportunism was explored with respect to postexperimental attitude change, intentions, and intrinsic motivation of individuals ( N = 132) toward acts with either forced compliance or compliance without pressure. In conditions of commitment and compliance without pressure, both intention and intrinsic motivation decreased as economic opportunism increased, while in conditions of commitment and forced compliance, intention increased as economic opportunism increased. Attitude change and economic opportunism did not appear to be associated in any experimental condition. These findings suggest that tendency to noncooperativeness predisposes to reduced concern for consistency and compliance with performed acts.