This article is devoted to the relationship of the two main types of social interaction: cooperation and competition. In the theoretical part we present the links of basic concepts, a historical review of domestic and foreign research on this issue and a number of factors that influence the development of cooperation in a competitive environment. In the empirical part we describe the results of study on the relationship between collectivist attitudes of personality, the level of group reflection and the type of organizational and cultural preferences with the characteristics of cooperative behavior in a small group in a competitive environment.