Being Dishonest About Our Prejudices: Moral Dissonance and Self-Justification

Authors

Kris Vasquez, Alverno College
Debra Oswald, Marquette UniversityFollow
Angela Hammer, Alverno College

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Publication Date

2019

Publisher

Routledge Taylor & Francis Group

Source Publication

Ethics and Behavior

Source ISSN

1050-8422

Abstract

We applied the moral dissonance reduction framework, used to explain the maintenance of a positive self-concept in dishonest behavior, to understand self-justification of prejudice. Participants identified ambiguously negative intergroup behaviors, then evaluated those behaviors when performed by others and themselves. As predicted by moral dissonance reduction, participants were less critical of their own behavior when considering others' behaviors before their own. In a third study directly comparing prejudiced and dishonest behavior, participants' responses showed the greatest self-justification in the initial question about their behavior regardless of the content of the question, whereas subsequent questions showed more stability, consistent with the idea that participants adjusted their initial self-reports to avoid damage to their self-concepts.

Comments

Accepted version. Ethics and Behavior, Vol. 29, No. 5 (2019): 382-404. DOI. © 2019 Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Used with permission.

Recommended Citation

Vasquez, Kris; Oswald, Debra; and Hammer, Angela, "Being Dishonest About Our Prejudices: Moral Dissonance and Self-Justification" (2019). Psychology Faculty Research and Publications. 468.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/psych_fac/468