Resource rich vs resource constrained mindsets

Ever since I have returned from the US, I have been thinking about the differences in the civility in the two places (India and US) - respect for an individual's rights and freedoms, at the most fundamental level. And my hypothesis is that it is a function of the mindset created by the perception of availability of resources to the individual. 

So let's hypothesize the differences between the mindsets:

Resource rich: A respect for the other individual's rights, increased patience and law abidance making one usually conservative and less risk-taking. Downside is increased inefficiency and resource wastage leading to high costs.

Resource constrained: This leads to efficient utilization of available resources, an increased need to come up with innovative solutions to problems. However, the downside is a selfish interest for maximizing personal resources, tendency to hoard and extract the maximum for oneself. It also leads to a game of one upmanship with the law, and an under-appreciation of risk assessment.

Therefore, one should attempt to recognize and develop a mindset that is resource availability independent. Learn to only use efficiently the resources available, but believe that with ingenuity and perseverance, one can have access to infinite amount of resources.