ABSTRACT

Is human nature cooperative?

Man is often said to be a social animal – but what does that mean? Michael Argyle believed that one of the most important components – our capacity to cooperate – had been overlooked and indeed that the whole notion of cooperation had not been properly understood.

In this book, originally published in 1991, the author showed he was critical of earlier approaches, and put forward a new and extended understanding of what cooperation consists of, showing the form it took in different relationships and its origins in evolution and socialisation. He offered new solutions to intergroup and other social problems and took a new look at language and communication as a cooperative enterprise.

part 1|44 pages

The study of cooperation

chapter 1|22 pages

Introduction

chapter 2|20 pages

Experiments on cooperation

part 2|61 pages

The origins of cooperation

chapter 3|20 pages

The evolution of cooperation

chapter 4|21 pages

Cultural differences in cooperation

chapter 5|18 pages

Communication and cooperation in children

part 3|63 pages

Cooperation in different relationships

chapter 6|17 pages

Cooperation in working groups

chapter 7|19 pages

Cooperation in the family

chapter 8|19 pages

Friendship

part 4|78 pages

Personality and social interaction

chapter 9|22 pages

Communication and conversation

chapter 10|23 pages

Individual differences in cooperativeness

chapter 12|8 pages

Conclusions