Psycho-social correlates of prosocial-productivity in a sample of entrepreneurs in Peru

Abstract

This study examines a dual-path structural model suggesting that similar prosocial-productivity outcomes may emerge from psychologically distinct configurations. prosocial-productivity is conceptualized as entrepreneurial behavior that deliberately integrates social and economic value creation. A cross-sectional survey of 506 entrepreneurs operating in Peru employed validated measures of personality traits, personal values, empathic concern, appreciation for sustainable practices, and prosocial-productivity. Correlational and path analyses identified two differentiated structural routes. The “genuine” pathway is associated with compassion, self transcendence values, empathic concern, and sustainability orientation, reflecting a coherent prosocial psychological configuration. In contrast, the “dark shortcut” pathway links prosocial-productivity to narcissism and self enhancement values, suggesting an instrumental configuration in which socially oriented outcomes may align with self promotional tendencies. Although both pathways converge behaviorally, they diverge in their underlying psychological structure, revealing an ethical tension. Interpreted within a Latin American context marked by inequality and institutional fragility, these findings underscore the situated nature of prosocial-productivity and provide correlational evidence of heterogeneous psychological configurations underlying value integrative entrepreneurship.