scholarly journals Moral identity relates to the neural processing of third-party moral behavior

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Pletti ◽  
Jean Decety ◽  
Markus Paulus
Keyword(s):  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Neural Processing

scholarly journals Moral identity relates to the neural processing of third-party moral behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Pletti ◽  
Jean Decety ◽  
Markus Paulus
Keyword(s):  
Moral Identity ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Neural Processing ◽  
Moral Self ◽  
Early Posterior Negativity ◽  
Early Processing ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Implicit And Explicit

Abstract Moral identity, or moral self, is the degree to which being moral is important to a person’s self-concept. It is hypothesized to be the `missing link’ between moral judgment and moral action. However, its cognitive and psychophysiological mechanisms are still subject to debate. In this study, we used event-related potentials to examine whether the moral self-concept is related to how people process prosocial and antisocial actions. To this end, participants’ implicit and explicit moral self-concept were assessed. We examined whether individual differences in moral identity relate to differences in early, automatic processes [i.e. Early Posterior Negativity (EPN), N2] or late, cognitively controlled processes (i.e. late positive potential) while observing prosocial and antisocial situations. Results show that a higher implicit moral self was related to a lower EPN amplitude for prosocial scenarios. In addition, an enhanced explicit moral self was related to a lower N2 amplitude for prosocial scenarios. The findings demonstrate that the moral self affects the neural processing of morally relevant stimuli during third-party evaluations. They support theoretical considerations that the moral self already affects (early) processing of moral information.

On properly characterizing moral agency

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blaine J. Fowers ◽  
Austen R. Anderson ◽  
Samantha F. Lang
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Moral Agency ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Situational Influences

AbstractDoris (2015b) develops a theory of moral agency to avoid a skeptical challenge arising from psychology studies indicating that (im)moral behavior is caused by trivial situational factors. His theory is flawed in attending only to situational influences on behavior and neglecting individual differences such as moral identity and virtue. A focus on individual differences in resilience to influence from trivial situational factors defangs the skeptical challenge and offers a better account of moral agency.

Predictors of Moral Disengagement in Sport

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 646-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Light Shields ◽  
Christopher D. Funk ◽  
Brenda Light Bredemeier
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Moral Disengagement ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Intercollegiate Athletes ◽  
Moral Attentiveness

Researchers have made productive use of Bandura’s (1991) construct of moral disengagement (MD) to help explain why sport participants deviate from ethical ideals. In this study of intercollegiate athletes from diverse sports (N = 713), we examined MD in relation to other character-related variables: empathy, moral identity, moral attentiveness, and contesting orientations. We also examined whether moral attentiveness conforms to the pattern of “bracketed morality” found in moral reasoning (Shields & Bredemeier, 1995) and moral behavior (Kavussanu, Boardley, Sagar, & Ring, 2013). Results indicated that MD correlated positively with perceptual moral attentiveness and war contesting orientation; MD correlated negatively with empathy, moral identity, reflective moral attentiveness, and partnership contesting orientation. Results of hierarchical regression demonstrated that gender, contesting orientations, moral identity, and one form of moral attentiveness were significant predictors of MD. Finally, sport participants were found to be less morally attentive in sport than in everyday life.

Does Moral Identity Effectively Predict Moral Behavior?: A Meta-Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven G. Hertz ◽  
Tobias Krettenauer
Keyword(s):  
Antisocial Behavior ◽  
Ethical Behavior ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Moral Identity ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Moral Behavior ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Psychological Constructs ◽  
Education Marketing ◽  
Lower Effect

This meta-analysis examined the relationship between moral identity and moral behavior. It was based on 111 studies from a broad range of academic fields including business, developmental psychology and education, marketing, sociology, and sport sciences. Moral identity was found to be significantly associated with moral behavior (random effects model, r = .22, p < .01, 95% CI [.19, .25]). Effect sizes did not differ for behavioral outcomes (prosocial behavior, avoidance of antisocial behavior, ethical behavior). Studies that were entirely based on self-reports yielded larger effect sizes. In contrast, the smallest effect was found for studies that were based on implicit measures or used priming techniques to elicit moral identity. Moreover, a marginally significant effect of culture indicated that studies conducted in collectivistic cultures yielded lower effect sizes than studies from individualistic cultures. Overall, the meta-analysis provides support for the notion that moral identity strengthens individuals’ readiness to engage in prosocial and ethical behavior as well as to abstain from antisocial behavior. However, moral identity fares no better as a predictor of moral action than other psychological constructs.

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