The impact of self‐construal and social distance on third‐party punishment in gain–loss contexts

Abstract

Previous research on third‐party punishment has predominantly focused on single situational variables, often neglecting the interaction between individual dispositions and external contexts. Grounded in the Chinese cultural context, the present research investigates how self‐construal and social distance jointly shape third‐party punishment under different outcome‐framing contexts, specifically in situations in which unfair behaviour leads to either benefits for the transgressor or losses for the victim, within hypothetical resource allocation scenarios. Study 1 ( N  = 80) showed that individuals with a chronic interdependent self‐construal imposed stronger punishment in loss than gain contexts. Study 2 ( N  = 91) replicated this pattern using situationally induced self‐construal. Study 3 ( N  = 68) further revealed that punishment was generally weaker towards socially close (vs. distant) transgressors, but for close others, punishment was significantly stronger in loss than gain contexts. These findings extend existing research on third‐party punishment by considering the interaction between individual dispositions and situational factors and by highlighting the critical moderating role of social relationships in the psychological mechanisms underlying norm enforcement.