ROLE OF MORAL INTEGRITY AND SELF-JUSTIFICATION IN BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS PRESENT IN MORAL PSYCHOLOGY

Abstract

Moral compensation occurs when individuals who first act non-morally compensate by acting morally. Alternatively, moral consistency occurs when those who act non-morally subsequently increase non-moral behaviours. This study investigated moral integrity as a moderator that determines which effect occurs when moral identity is activated. Namely, individuals with high and low moral integrity should show moral compensation and consistency effects respectively. Self-justification was also hypothesized to reduce subsequent moral behaviours. In this online study, 201 participants were randomly assigned to three conditions, where they recalled non-moral behaviours to elicit moral identity, recalled neutral events, or self-justified their non-moral behaviours. Participants were subsequently assigned into groups of high and low moral integrity, and moral behaviours were assessed via decisions made in moral conflicts. Results showed that moral compensation and consistency effects were not observed in participants with high and low moral integrity respectively. The moderating role of moral integrity was also not found. Additionally, those with high moral integrity made lesser moral decisions, demonstrating an effect opposite to moral compensation, while self-justification resulted in increased moral decisions. This study suggests that anonymity could have a large impact on the findings, and future research may replicate this study in settings with reputational cues.