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Ethical ends: Effect of abstract mindsets in ethical decisions for the greater social good

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  • Rixom, Jessica
  • Mishra, Himanshu

Abstract

We explore the impact of construal level on decisions involving conflicts between multiple ethical principles. Whereas abstract mindsets are associated with a focus on ethical issues and superordinate concerns, concrete mindsets are associated with financial self-interest. With abstract mindsets, we find that people abide by rather than violate ethical principles when only the self would benefit (single principle) but they violate ethical principles when doing so is a conduit for a greater social good (multiple principles). With concrete mindsets, people violate ethical principles for personal gain with less concern for the impact on the greater social good. Specifically, with abstract mindsets, people were dishonest to secure larger donations (Study 1) and dishonest to make larger (smaller) donations to charities that supported (threatened) the greater social good (Study 2a, Study 2b) whereas with concrete mindsets, people focused more on dishonesty for personal gain (Study 1, Study 2a, Study 2b).

Suggested Citation

  • Rixom, Jessica & Mishra, Himanshu, 2014. "Ethical ends: Effect of abstract mindsets in ethical decisions for the greater social good," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 124(2), pages 110-121.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:124:y:2014:i:2:p:110-121
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2014.02.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Rose, Stefan & Wentzel, Daniel & Hopp, Christian & Kaminski, Jermain, 2020. "Launching for Success: The Effects of Psychological Distance and Mental Simulation on Funding Decisions and Crowdfunding Performance," SocArXiv fqbwk, Center for Open Science.
    3. Rose, Stefan & Wentzel, Daniel & Hopp, Christian & Kaminski, Jermain, 2021. "Launching for success: The effects of psychological distance and mental simulation on funding decisions and crowdfunding performance," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 36(6).
    4. Hunt, Nicholas C. & Curtis, Mary B. & Rixom, Jessica M., 2022. "Financial priming, psychological distance, and recognizing financial misreporting as an ethical issue: The role of financial reporting responsibility," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Nohe, Christoph & Hüffmeier, Joachim & Bürkner, Paul & Mazei, Jens & Sondern, Dominik & Runte, Antonia & Sieber, Franziska & Hertel, Guido, 2022. "Unethical choice in negotiations: A meta-analysis on gender differences and their moderators," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).

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