A content analysis of behavior patterns in 129 Ethiopian folktales to identify rules governing payoffs in the game of everyday living as perceived in the traditional Ethiopian culture is presented. The study concluded that Ethiopians tend to view the life game as zero-sum, non-shared sum, and yielding at best a limited payoff. This view results in a set of survival strategies based on self-protection, deception, and revenge aimed either at maintaining the status quo or advancing oneself at the expense of others. Perceived opportunities for initiative and cooperation in service to the community are limited. Personal efficacy is perceived as present in interpersonal exchanges, but not in exchanges with the impersonal environment.
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