Like you said, anyone's motivation for their actions can be questioned. Everyone's motives are questionable. I don't think an article is needed to argue about that. I, personally, am kind to many people just because it is troublesome not to be, or to extract specific behaviors as a return. I managed to get a driving license without bribing (bribing for that is standard practice here), because I was so overly polite and non aggressive during training that my instructor genuinely believed I was one of the few pure souls left on this planet. The instructor then managed to persuade the examiner of my driving test that the reason I was not paying was because I was naive and really thought I could drive making zero mistakes, not because I was trying to get away with it ( if you don't bribe, a single tiny mistake is enough to get cut, and you can't really avoid it if the examiner wishes, also the examiner and the instructor share the bribe). That saved me about 150 euros. That's politeness ft or you.