Dynamics between Aggression and Prosociality: Cross-Cultural Study of the US and Taiwan

Aggression and prosociality, as social-emotional behaviors, are crucial for well-being, requiring further study on their interplay and cultural influences. We recruited 121 US (n = 71) and Taiwanese (n = 50) college students (M = 20.46 years) to understand the aggression-prosociality dynamic within individualistic-collectivistic contexts at both country and individual levels. Our novel experimental design differentiated between reactive and proactive behaviors, revealing a negative correlation in Taiwan—increased reactive prosociality correlates with decreased aggression in a uni-dimensional manner. Conversely, US data suggested a bi-dimensional relationship, where these behaviors function independently. Importantly, individual cultural orientations, especially horizontal collectivism, influenced the dynamic between uni-dimensional and bi-dimensional relationships of aggression and prosociality at the individual level, irrespective of group characteristics. This underscores that personal values about group harmony significantly predict the aggression-prosociality dynamic, highlighting the complexity of these dynamics across individual and country dimensions and paving the way for culturally tailored prevention strategies.