Rules or Consequences? The Role of Ethical Mindsets in Moral Dynamics
Barcelona GSE Working Paper No. 601
25 Pages Posted: 23 Jan 2012 Last revised: 31 Jan 2012
Date Written: January 23, 2012
Abstract
Recent research on the dynamics of moral behavior has documented two contrasting phenomena - moral consistency and moral balancing. Moral balancing refers to the phenomenon whereby behaving (un)ethically decreases the likelihood of doing so again at a later time. Moral consistency describes the opposite pattern - engaging in (un)ethical behavior increases the likelihood of doing so later on. Three studies support the hypothesis that individuals’ ethical mindset (i.e., outcome-based versus rule-based) moderates the impact of an initial (un)ethical act on the likelihood of behaving ethically in a subsequent occasion. More specifically, an outcome-based mindset facilitates moral balancing and a rule-based mindset facilitates moral consistency.
Keywords: moral balancing, moral consistency, ethical mindsets, ethical behavior
JEL Classification: C91, D03
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation
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