A Responsibility–Benefit Dual-Drive Model of Cha-xu Sharing and the Reinforcing Effect of Social Norms

Abstract

Cha-xu sharing refers to the differentiated resource-sharing behaviors of individuals based on their social distance to different target others. Existing research has not adequately investigated the internal mechanisms that produce such differential behaviors from the perspective of “egoistic altruism,” nor has it examined whether culturally rooted Cha-xu Geju (differential mode of association) can be externally modulated. Study 1 employed three ecologically valid scenarios to provide basic evidence that individuals’ resource allocations follow a cha-xu sharing pattern. Study 2 further demonstrated that perceived role responsibility, self-interest, and reciprocity jointly mediate the effect of social distance on sharing, and proposed a responsibility–benefit dual-drive model to account for cha-xu sharing. Study 3 manipulated pro-sharing social norms and found that, although they increased overall sharing levels, in certain respects they also strengthened the cha-xu pattern. These findings advance our understanding of differentiated decision-making in Confucian-influenced cultural contexts and offer a basis for designing managerial strategies to balance fairness with cultural fit.