Co-operation and Competition: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Abstract

Within apparently endless debate about the possibility of a ‘pure’ altruism, much of modem psychology stresses competition and reward. At the same time, however, there are social reinforcements for co-operation. It is proposed that both competition and co-operation — in different circumstances — each can make a contribution to survival and well-being. The presence in any given setting of one does not imply that the other is intrinsically less central, but it does suggest a capability to creatively maximise desired outcomes, all of this is discussed within the framework of three fundamental views of human nature, which describe us in terms of the good, the bad and the neutral.