The free-rider problem in group work, a common problem faced by college students, explores how selfish behavior can sometimes be more efficient and beneficial, and suggests ways to strategically use selfishness in society.
College students have started classes. This time of year, college students are bombarded with assignments, and one of them is always group work. Group work is a pain for many college students. This is because of selfish people who take advantage of the so-called “free ride”. They seem eager to participate when they’re sharing the work, but when the work really starts, they lose touch or make excuses to avoid their responsibilities. This phenomenon repeats itself from the beginning of the semester, and a few responsible students end up shouldering the entire burden. To combat this, some people try to do individual peer reviews and award points for contributions, or penalize people for not participating. This works to a certain extent, but it still creates a free-for-all, and you end up with someone who takes it all on themselves to the detriment of their life.
If you’ve ever experienced this, you might be wondering, “Do I have to be nice in life?” And in this article, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many of the behaviors we consider “nice” are ultimately done to meet the expectations of others or because of social pressure. But these behaviors don’t always lead to beneficial outcomes for the individual. Selfish behavior can sometimes lead to better outcomes.
So, back to the group task, what is the best way to eliminate free riding? The best way to eliminate free riding is to eliminate group work altogether. In other words, everyone sticks to their own assignments and manages their own grades. In fact, many college students would argue that it should be eliminated altogether. The idea behind group work is that it encourages collaboration and communication to produce better results, but the reality is different. In most cases, group work leads to conflict, and the cacophony that arises from the process of working on assignments not only hinders learning, but it can also lead to a decrease in individual achievement.
Of course, it’s not possible to eliminate group work in every class. However, the point I’m trying to make here is that both the solutions mentioned above, such as the one that affects grades, and the one that suggests that students should only do individual work, imply the idea that humans work best when they are acting in their own self-interest. This stems from our inherent survival instincts, and our behavior is fundamentally aimed at our own survival and prosperity. Therefore, selfish behavior shouldn’t be condemned, but rather understood as part of a survival strategy.
The phrase “acting solely for one’s own benefit” is another way of saying “being selfish”. The word “selfish” is never used in a good way in our society. It could be argued that many of the behaviors we call wrong – taking what belongs to others, littering on the side of the road (because you can’t be bothered to find a trash can), getting a free ride on a group project, and so on – are “selfish” behaviors. So, if doing the wrong thing is selfish, why shouldn’t we live selfishly? Selfish behavior certainly provides instant gratification, and as long as you don’t get caught, the benefits can continue. In fact, we need to be selfish to a certain extent, as long as our excessive behavior doesn’t harm us (breaking the law and getting arrested) or harm us mentally (by feeling guilty). Selfishness is not just used in a negative sense. It can also mean proper self-protection and efficiency. For example, putting your own needs and goals first is essential for growth and development.
As for why we should be selfish, first of all, it’s beneficial to be selfish. Even the free ride mentioned in the first paragraph is beneficial from an individual perspective: you can get a group activity grade without doing any work, and if you spend the rest of the time working on your own personal tasks, you’ll get a better grade as a result. The same can be said for another commonly cited selfish behavior: snooping. Imagine a long line at the door during rush hour. In the chaos of people coming and going, you sneak to the front of the line without anyone noticing, and you get a free ride on the subway. You might even have the luxury of a seat and a comfortable ride. These small gains can add up to big benefits in the long run. While this behavior may be socially condemned, it can be a realistic and practical choice for individuals.
The benefits mentioned in the previous paragraph are more of a short-term, immediate gain. And some people would argue that it’s better to live altruistically because selfish behavior can be detrimental to the community in the long run, leading to marginalization within the group. However, the scope of the modern world is globalized. As the size of the group you belong to increases, the degree to which your reputation or behavior affects the group decreases. In other words, as long as your behavior is within the bounds of goodness, people don’t care as much about it and it doesn’t cause much of a disadvantage to society. Furthermore, in a globalized society, small selfish actions by individuals can have a negligible impact on the overall order. For example, in a large corporation, if one individual acts in his or her own self-interest, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact on the operations of the entire organization.
Also, altruistic behaviors aren’t the only ones that inspire a sense of solidarity. For example, suppose you have a genealogy for a class with a difficult test, and you share it only with a group of friends who have other genealogies, so that you can ace the test. In some ways, this might be altruistic, but in the context of the class as a whole, it’s much more of a selfish group. However, we can see that with a little strategy, these selfish people can organize themselves into a group and benefit from the larger group.
Also from an economic perspective, many of the world’s views of humans revolve around the assumption that “humans are selfish”. A classic example is the comparison between capitalism and communism. Consider South Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. South Korea is currently a capitalist country, while North Korea is a communist country. If you compare the economies of capitalist South Korea, which recognizes private property and allows people to freely compete with each other based on their own interests, and communist North Korea, which does not recognize private property and does not allow people to work for their own interests, and where everything is distributed according to need, which is more developed? As of 2023, South Korea’s GDP is expected to be $34,653 per capita, while North Korea’s is $1,050 (estimated), making South Korea 30 times richer than North Korea. In a capitalist system, individual self-interest is an important driver of economic development. It goes beyond mere individual greed and becomes an important factor directly related to the prosperity of the entire society.
In other words, it’s in the best interest of the whole society to utilize economic activity for its own benefit. This can be seen by comparing the percentage of countries in the world that are capitalist versus communist. Currently, there are only four communist countries among the many countries in the world. This historical fact suggests that economic systems based on human nature are more successful. Self-interest can act as a driving force for social progress, as the pursuit of self-interest enriches the lives of individuals and, by extension, contributes to the development of society as a whole.
Even from an evolutionary perspective, which is based on the survival of the fittest, acting in one’s own self-interest is a better way to navigate the world, as those with the best traits for survival will adapt and survive (be selected). In conclusion, this article argues that humans can be strategically selfish, rather than forced to be altruistic, as long as they have a certain amount of discipline and a good sense of perspective. Selfish behavior is not just about maximizing personal gain, but can contribute to the efficiency of the community in a broader sense, and to a more effective distribution of social resources.
In fact, all animals, including humans, have the right to live for their own survival and are born with the instinct to do so, but the idea of being “altruistic” often suppresses this instinct, and it doesn’t have to be absolute. This is not to say that selfish behavior is unconditionally right. However, it’s important to recognize that when we put our own needs and interests first from time to time, it’s natural and can lead to greater achievement. Therefore, we need to allow ourselves a certain amount of selfishness.
