We review empirical research on (social) psychology of morality to identify which issues and relations are well documented by existing data and which areas of inquiry are in need of further empirical ...evidence. An electronic literature search yielded a total of 1,278 relevant research articles published from 1940 through 2017. These were subjected to expert content analysis and standardized bibliometric analysis to classify research questions and relate these to (trends in) empirical approaches that characterize research on morality. We categorize the research questions addressed in this literature into five different themes and consider how empirical approaches within each of these themes have addressed psychological antecedents and implications of moral behavior. We conclude that some key features of theoretical questions relating to human morality are not systematically captured in empirical research and are in need of further investigation.
Full text
Available for:
NUK, OILJ, SAZU, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study examined both the moderating effects of moral reasoning and gender on the relation between moral disengagement and cyberbullying in Chinese adolescents. Four hundred and seventeen ...adolescents completed the measures of Machiavellianism, moral disengagement, moral reasoning, and cyberbullying. The findings revealed that moral disengagement was significantly associated with cyberbullying even when Machiavellianism was controlled. Moral reasoning moderated the association between moral disengagement and cyberbullying. When adolescents reported a low level of moral reasoning, those with high moral disengagement reported higher scores in cyberbullying than those with low moral disengagement. However, the high and low moral disengagement group had a low level of cyberbullying when moral reasoning was high. Moreover, gender also moderated the link between moral disengagement and cyberbullying. Specifically, the relation between MD and cyberbullying tended to be stronger in boys than in girls.
•Moral disengagement was significantly associated with cyberbullying even when Machiavellianism was controlled.•Moral reasoning moderated the association between moral disengagement and cyberbullying.•Gender also moderated the link between moral disengagement and cyberbullying.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
Charges of hypocrisy are usually thought to be to be damning. Yet when a hypocrisy charge is made, there often remains disagreement about whether or not its target really is a hypocrite. Why? Three ...pre-registered experiments (N = 2599) conceptualize and test the role of perceived comparability in evaluating hypocrisy. Calling someone a hypocrite typically entails invoking a comparison—one meant to highlight internal contradiction and cast moral character into question. Yet there is ambiguity about which sorts of comparisons are valid in the first place. We argue that disagreements about moral hypocrisy often boil down to disagreements about comparability. Although the comparability of two situations should not depend on whose behavior is being scrutinized, observers shift comparability judgments in line with social motives to criticize or defend. In short, we identify a cognitive factor that can help to explain why, for similar patterns of behavior, people see hypocrisy in their enemies but consistency in themselves and their allies.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•A framework incorporating social information processing and moral development is introduced.•The framework integrates cognitive and affective skills and social neuroscience.•The framework bridges ...the gap between developmental psychology and social neuroscience.•This framework can guide moral development research in typical and atypical populations.
How moral decision-making occurs, matures over time and relates to behaviour is complex. To develop a full picture of moral decision-making, moral development and moral behaviour it is necessary to understand: (a) how real-time moral decisions are made (including relevant social and contextual factors), (b) what processes are required to develop to enable mature moral decisions, (c) how these processes develop over time, and (d) how moral decisions relate to behaviour. In this paper, psychological and social neuroscience theories of moral decision-making and development are briefly reviewed, as is the development of relevant component processes. Various component processes and factors are seen as required for moral decision-making and development, yet there is no comprehensive framework incorporating these components into one explanation of how real-time moral decisions are made and mature. In this paper, we integrated these components into a new framework based on social information processing (SIP) theory. Situational factors, and how both cognitive and affective processes guide moral decisions was incorporated into the Social Information Processing-Moral Decision-Making (SIP-MDM) framework, drawing upon theories and findings from developmental psychology and social neuroscience. How this framework goes beyond previous SIP models was outlined, followed by a discussion of how it can explain both real-time moral decisions and moral development. We concluded with how the SIP-MDM framework could be used to guide future research and theory development in this area.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
People sometimes explain behavior by appealing to an essentialist concept of the self, often referred to as the true self. Existing studies suggest that people tend to believe that the true self is ...morally virtuous; that is deep inside, every person is motivated to behave in morally good ways. Is this belief particular to individuals with optimistic beliefs or people from Western cultures, or does it reflect a widely held cognitive bias in how people understand the self? To address this question, we tested the good true self theory against two potential boundary conditions that are known to elicit different beliefs about the self as a whole. Study 1 tested whether individual differences in misanthropy—the tendency to view humans negatively—predict beliefs about the good true self in an American sample. The results indicate a consistent belief in a good true self, even among individuals who have an explicitly pessimistic view of others. Study 2 compared true self‐attributions across cultural groups, by comparing samples from an independent country (USA) and a diverse set of interdependent countries (Russia, Singapore, and Colombia). Results indicated that the direction and magnitude of the effect are comparable across all groups we tested. The belief in a good true self appears robust across groups varying in cultural orientation or misanthropy, suggesting a consistent psychological tendency to view the true self as morally good.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Based on the preliminary study, it’s known that cheating behaviour is major problem for the education sector. The aim of this research is examine the correlation between moral reasoning and ...cheating behaviour of senior high school students. Current research is quantitative research with correlational method. 282 samples were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Moral reasoning variable were measured using psychological scale based on the level of moral reasoning according to Kohlberg’s theory and cheating behaviour variable were measured using psychological scale based on cheating behaviour indicators. Data were analysed using Product Moment correlation technique. After analysing the data, the results revealed there is significant negative relationship between moral reasoning and cheating behaviour (r=-.265, p.05) among senior high school students indicating when moral reasoning is high then cheating behaviour is low, and vice versa. It is expected that the continuation of this research can find interventions to reduce cheating behaviour.
This work advances towards an increased understanding of moral disengagement and individual differences in the maintenance of widespread and cherished harmful behaviors. Drawing on meat consumption ...and substitution as an opportunity to study the process of moral self-regulation in situ, it presents a measure of selective deactivation of moral self-regulatory processes when considering the impact of meat consumption (i.e. the Moral Disengagement in Meat Questionnaire — MDMQ). The MDMQ developed from four sequential studies following a mixed-methods approach. Two preliminary studies (40 and 410 participants, respectively) provided input to develop the construct and initial pool of items. Two additional studies (1016 and 318 participants, respectively) allowed the assessment of item selection, factor structure, reliability, convergent and concurrent validities, predictive ability, and measurement invariance. The MDMQ was associated with a variety of individual differences concerning moral self-regulation (i.e. propensity to morally disengage; moral identity; empathy; moral emotions) and endorsement of dominance ideologies (i.e. social dominance orientation; speciesism; human supremacy beliefs). In a sequential mediation model, frequency of meat consumption affected willingness towards meat substitution indirectly via meat attachment and moral disengagement. We offer an interpretation of moral disengagement as a motivated reasoning process which is triggered by loss aversion and dissonance avoidance.
•Food practices allow individual processes in everyday moral action to be observed.•We measured moral disengagement (MD) when considering the impact of meat consumption.•MD associated with individual differences concerning moral self-regulation.•MD also associated with endorsement of human and animal dominance ideologies.•Meat attachment and MD mediated eating habits on willingness to change habits.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
I explored the association between components constituting the basis for moral and optimal human functioning, i.e., moral reasoning, moral identity, empathy, and purpose, via network analysis. I ...employed factor scores instead of composite scores that most previous studies used for better accuracy in score estimation in this study. Then, I estimated the network structure among collected variables and centrality indicators. For additional information, the structure and indicators were compared between two groups, participants who engaged in civic activities highly versus lowly. The results demonstrated significant intra- and inter-scale associations in the network. The network structure was invariant across the two groups. Despite the network invariance, I found that the global connectivity between and centrality indicators of examined factors were higher among the high civic engagement group in general. I discussed the implications of the findings in research on moral functioning based on moral psychology and virtue ethics.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
What happens when females use counterfeit luxury products in a social context? The authors show that counterfeit users view social interactions they have with other people as a possible signal that ...their counterfeit product has been judged to be an authentic luxury product (high authenticity signal) or a counterfeit product (low authenticity signal). Low authenticity signals trigger higher levels of social anxiety than do high authenticity signals. And, higher levels of social anxiety result in decreases in moral disengagement regarding counterfeit purchases. The end result is that low authenticity signals lead to lower purchase intentions and actual spending on counterfeit luxury goods compared to high authenticity signals. In a final study, the authors use these findings to develop a new anticounterfeit advertising strategy, and show it to be effective in reducing females’ interest in purchasing counterfeit luxury products in the future.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
This research investigates the role of subjective well-being in Gen Zers’ response to unethical situations that are encountered online versus offline. It empirically supports a model that ...incorporates moral reasoning effects and the aftermath of learning about the situation in either a first-person or third-person perspective. The findings suggest that Gen Zers are eager to show their values and participate in boycotts when facing an unethical situation. Subjective well-being plays an important role in activating versus inhibiting boycott behaviors as a response to unethical situations encountered both online and offline. Counterintuitively, Gen Zers are less likely to show support for a boycott when scoring high on well-being, since they are not willing to signal their commitment to gain social legitimacy. In fact, when coping with unethical situations, they are eager to display their true values and to enact the boycott rather than merely show support for it.
PDF
