Averting the Tragedy of the Commons Using Social Psychological Science to Protect the Environment

Many local and global environmental challenges are tragedies-of-the-commons dilemmas in which private and collective interests are frequently at odds. Recent developments in social psychological theory and research suggest that in such commons dilemmas people are not just motivated by narrow (economic) self-interest but that they also consider the broader implications of their decisions for others and for the natural environment. Based on a core-motives analysis, I identify four necessary components for designing interventions to protect the environment: (a) information, (b) identity, (c) institutions, and (d) incentives, and discuss their utility and the feasibility of incorporating them. KEYWORDS—commons dilemma; cooperation; core motives; environmental conservation; human evolution; social dilemma; social psychology; tragedy of the commons Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone