sucker effect

a phenomenon in which individuals reduce their personal investment in a group endeavor because of their expectation that others will think negatively of them for working too hard or contributing too much (considering them to be a sucker). Compare compensation effect. See also collective effort model.

Browse dictionary by letter

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Psychology term of the day

March 17th 2025

paranoid delusion

loosely, any of a variety of false personal beliefs tenaciously sustained even in the face of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. These include delusions of grandeur, delusional jealousy, or, most frequently, delusions of persecution.