Social and Personality Psychology Compass
The Strength‐Is‐Weakness Effect in Coalition Formation: Why Strong Positions Can Lead to Worse Outcomes
ABSTRACT In coalition formation, strength can paradoxically become a liability: those who bring the most resources are often excluded from winning coalitions. We integrate classical coalition theories with recent experiments to clarify when strength backfires, when it is an asset, and how weaker players benefit. First, alignment of self‐interest and fairness norms enables weaker actors to justify excluding stronger ones. Second, the effect is also driven by the salience of self‐interest and fairness: most people se …