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

See all articles by Gert Cornelissen

Gert Cornelissen

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Department of Economics and Business

Michael Ramsay Bashshur

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Julian Rode

Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ

Marc Le Menestrel

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences

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

Cornelissen, Gert and Bashshur, Michael Ramsay and Rode, Julian and Le Menestrel, Marc, Rules or Consequences? The Role of Ethical Mindsets in Moral Dynamics (January 23, 2012). Barcelona GSE Working Paper No. 601, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1990315 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1990315

Gert Cornelissen (Contact Author)

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Department of Economics and Business ( email )

Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
Barcelona, 08005
Spain
++34 93542 27 31 (Phone)

Michael Ramsay Bashshur

Singapore Management University - Lee Kong Chian School of Business ( email )

469 Bukit Timah Road
Singapore 912409
Singapore

Julian Rode

Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ ( email )

Department of Economics
Permoserstr. 15
Leipzig, 04279
Germany

Marc Le Menestrel

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences ( email )

Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
Barcelona, 08005
Spain
34 93 542 27 23 (Phone)
34 93 542 17 46 (Fax)

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