The role of the quiet ego in promoting benefits from social participation: a win-win game for sustained social participation

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that the quiet ego, defined as an inclusive identity oriented toward long-term growth in desirable and adaptive ways for oneself and others, can be expressed and developed by participating in the social sphere. The objectives of this study are: 1) to analyze the measurement quality of the Quiet Ego Scale (QES) in a sample of Spanish individuals with different levels of prosocial participation (Study 1; N = 238); and 2) to analyze how the QES is related to participants’ perceived benefits and costs and their intention to continue participating in prosocial activities, in a new sample of individuals who actively participate as volunteers, community leaders, activists, and so on (Study 2; N = 288). Our findings showed that the QES has adequate psychometric properties for use in samples of Spanish individuals who perform various social activities. Furthermore, the results suggest a positive chain of relationships, that is, a quiet ego is related to individuals’ perception of three specific benefits associated with prosocial participation (Benefits from the activities, Benefits of giving, and Benefits of sharing with similar people), and these benefits to their intention to continue performing such activities. These findings can help non-profit organizations sustain social participation based on perceived personal benefits and the dimensions of a quiet ego.