Freedom and Responsibility Go Together: Personality, Experimental, and Cultural Demonstrations

Journal of Research in Personality. 2018. Vol. 73. No. 1. P. 63–74.

Sheldon K. M., Gordeeva T. O., Leontiev D., Osin E. N., Rasskazova E., Dementiy L., Lynch M. F.

            Although common stereotypes and the OED definition of freedom suggest that freedom and responsibility are incompatible, in three cross-cultural studies, we test the existential psychological premise that freedom and responsibility are actually complementary.  In all three studies, a) measures of dispositional freedom and dispositional responsibility were positively correlated; b) emphasizing freedom in an experimental context increased responsibility-taking after failure; and c) Responsibility-taking was slightly lower in Russia, a country typically ranked lower in world freedom indices.  In Studies 1 and 2 responsibility-taking was more strongly associated with competence and longitudinal goal-attainment in the Russian sample, suggesting that individual responsibility can compensate for freedom-limiting aspects of socio-cultural contexts.  In Study 3 the best predictor of felt free will (especially in the U.S.) was the lay theory belief that “freedom involves taking responsibility for one’s actions.” Supporting a control sensitivity explanation of the socio-cultural differences, a second Study 3 experiment found that Russians were inclined to take more responsibility than Americans, but only when it was requested (not demanded) by family/friends (but not by authorities or by strangers).

Keywords: responsibility, freedom

Publication based on the results of: Personality predictors and developmental trajectories of performance and psychological well-being (final) (2018)