Ethical decision-making: Contemporary research on the role of the self

Shu, L L and Effron, D (2015) Ethical decision-making: Contemporary research on the role of the self. In: Emerging trends in the social and behavioral sciences. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, N.J., pp. 1-9. ISBN 9781118900772

Abstract

How do people decide when facing dilemmas that pit self-interested gains against ethical values? We highlight two key principles from contemporary behavioral research: (i) people are more willing to act unethically when they can convince themselves that their behavior does not reflect poorly on their moral character and (ii) people tend to be content with an “ethical enough” self-image. We examine how these principles shed light on the antecedents and consequences of ethical behavior, emphasizing situational determinants and psychological processes. We close by considering important questions that remain unanswered, and discuss how furthering our understanding the role of the self in ethical decision-making can be used to nudge people toward more ethical behavior.