Life’s About Change. How Relations Transform Individual Attitudes, Choices and Behaviors

Searching for escapes from the ‘‘algorithmic cage’’ of homo economicus, experimental and behavioral economics appear as a step towards the ‘‘whole breadth of reason’’ highlighting the role of interpersonal relation in human decisions and actions. We explore how individual choices, attitudes and traits change over a congruous period of time, due to exposure to an intense relational experience within a caring community. We apply a longitudinal empirical framework of analysis, encompassing behavioral games, textual analysis and psychological validated tests to three ongoing research projects at CSCC-UCSC, involving ex-addicted persons in Italian rehab communities; Californian state prisoners attending the GRIP program; and schoolchildren under AVSI Distance Support in Goma, DRC.