PSYchology

The article is based on the book «Social Psychology» by David Myers.

Tragedy of communal pastures

The term «communal pastures» in old England referred to pastures located in the center of cities. Imagine that 100 farmers share a pasture that can feed 100 cows. As long as each of them has one cow, the pasture is used in the «optimal mode». But then one of them begins to reason something like this: “If I get a second cow, my profit will double, and the grass will practically not decrease from this, well, maybe just a little.” And he brings a second cow. Other farmers follow suit. The inevitable result is the «tragedy of communal pastures» — a piece of land trampled down by animals, on which not a single blade of grass remains.

Other Community Resources

“Communal pastures” can be air, water, forests or fish, i.e. any limited resource that is in common ownership. If everyone consumes it in reasonable quantities, its stocks are replenished as fast as it «ripens». Grass and forests grow, fish give birth, the air is purified. With excessive consumption, we get the «tragedy of communal pastures.»

Thus, the total pollution of the environment consists of a huge number of minor emissions, each of which brings its «author» much more benefits than he (and the environment) could receive if he stopped his activities, which result in harmful emissions. The whalers knew that if not they, then others would kill whales, and they thought that by killing a few individuals, they would not cause any harm to their existence. This is precisely the tragedy: what everyone should be doing — namely the conservation of resources — is not being done by anyone.

Features of psychology in the consumption of public resources

  • A situational explanation of one’s behavior («I was forced to defend my interests») and a dispositional explanation of the behavior of opponents («He was greedy», «He was not trustworthy»).
  • Changing Motivation: At first people are eager to make as much easy money as possible, then they seek to reduce their losses, and in the end they are concerned about how to save face.
  • Contrasting the momentary interests of the individual with the well-being of the group as a whole.
  • Blurring of responsibility.

Ways to solve the problem of dividing public resources

  • Accurate Estimation of a Limited Resource: If people don’t know exactly how much of a resource they can count on, they often consume more than they think.
  • Reducing the size of the group: in small communities, each individual feels more responsible and efficient and more involved in the overall success.
  • Communication: Communication within a group increases trust among group members, allows the creation of group laws, and encourages their implementation.
  • Material interest: creating conditions in which the observance of the public interest becomes economically beneficial.
  • Stimulation of altruistic behavior.

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