Question

The Conversation of resource theory states "Resource loss is more powerful than resources gain". Do you agree with or without the principle. And what plans what you try to avoid loss of resources.

Answer 1

Conservation of resources (COR) theory begins with the tenet that individuals strive to obtain, retain, foster, and protect those things they centrally value. COR theory follows an understanding that cognitions have an evolutionary-based built-in and powerful bias to overweight resource loss and underweight resource gain. Following this basis, COR theory posits that stress occurs

(a) when central or key resources are threatened with loss

(b) when central or key resources are lost

(c) when there is a failure to gain central or key resources following significant effort.

At its core, COR theory is a motivational theory that explains much of human behavior based on the evolutionary need to acquire and conserve resources for survival, which is central to human behavioral genetics. Like other social animals, humans must acquire and conserve both personal strengths and social bonds. Unlike other animals, however, humans can create complex tools to ensure their survival and have the advantage of complex language to communicate, which aids survival and social bonding

The principles of COR theory and its corollaries are summarized in the sidebar titled Principles and Corollaries of Conservation of Resources Theory

The first principle of COR theory is that resource loss is disproportionately more salient than resource gain. Resources include object resources (e.g., car, tools for work), condition resources (e.g., employment, tenure, seniority), personal resources (e.g., key skills and personal traits such as self-efficacy and optimism), and energy resources (e.g., credit, knowledge, money). The disproportionate impact of resource loss compared to resource gain is expressed in the much greater effect of resource loss, the speed of that impact, and the length of time the impact remains salient. As such, in addition to considering the magnitude of impact, the COR theory is also the only stress theory that includes a component of momentum. Specifically, COR theory posits that resource loss not only is more powerful than resource gain in magnitude but also tends to affect people more rapidly and at increasing speed over time. Loss is primary in human systems because people are products of evolution, and in evolutionary terms even small losses were often significantly tied to failure to survive. The attribute of momentum may also have an evolutionary basis, as slow processes might not be as easily noticed and thereby might produce major or even survival-threatening damage by the time they are identified.

The second principle of COR theory is that people must invest resources in order to protect against resource loss, recover from losses, and gain resources. This includes direct replacement of resources, such as using savings to pay for lost income, and indirect investment of resources, such as increasing employees’ skills to prepare for a tough business environment. In the latter case, skills and confidence resources are increased to offset the loss of potential income if gains are not made.

The third principle of the COR theory is paradoxical. It states that resource gain increases in salience in the context of resource loss. That is, when resource loss circumstances are high, resource gains become more important—they gain in value. A related corollary of this (Corollary 1) is that those with greater resources are less vulnerable to resource loss and more capable of orchestrating resource gain. But, the infusion of resources for those with few resources can have a powerful impact in engaging gain momentum and strength. It is notable that no other theory of stress includes this type of interaction.

The fourth principle of COR theory is that when their resources are outstretched or exhausted, individuals enter a defensive mode to preserve the self that is often aggressive and may become irrational. This is the least researched principle of COR theory but one that has high explanatory power. Like other aspects of COR theory, this is likely to be a built-in evolutionary strategy that may be defensive (i.e., to conserve resources) or exploratory (i.e., to search for alternative survival or adaptation strategies that on their face or from experience do not seem adaptive). In this way, a defensive withdrawal allows time to regroup or to wait for help, or it allows the stressor to pass. Aggressive or seemingly irrational responses may also work because they can potentially change the array of stressors or allow for the emergence of a new coping strategy.

COR theory also proposes several key corollaries. Just like the principles of COR theory, these corollaries make for specific, complex, and multifaceted predictions, and they also lend themselves to build the complex strategies required to counteract major stressful conditions at the individual or organizational level.

Corollary 1 is that resource possession and lack thereof are integral to vulnerability and resilience. Those with greater resources are less vulnerable to resource loss and more capable of resource gain. Conversely, individuals and organizations that lack resources are more vulnerable to resource loss and less capable of resource gain.

Corollary 2 is that resource loss has a spiraling nature. Because resource loss is more powerful than resource gain, and because stress occurs when resources are lost, at each iteration of the stress spiral individuals and organizations have fewer resources to offset resource loss. This creates resource loss spirals whereby losses gain in both impact and momentum. No other stress theory proposes such detailed predictions that are both testable and valuable in their application.

Corollary 3 is that resource gain also has a spiraling nature. However, because resource gain is both of less magnitude and slower than resource loss, resource gain spirals tend to be weak and take time to develop. Gain cycles are sluggish. That said, they are the only game in town other than escape, and so they must be undertaken by individuals and organizations to counteract loss and to build engagement. One caveat to this principle is that resource gain spirals do gain in saliency in high-loss settings and conditions, which means that the motivation to build a resource gain cycle will increase when losses occur and will have higher payoff under high-stress conditions.