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No self to spare: How the cognitive structure of the self influences moral behavior

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  • Touré-Tillery, Maferima
  • Light, Alysson E.

Abstract

People represent knowledge about their self-concept in terms of multiple cognitive structures or self-aspects. “Self-overlap” refers to the extent to which people perceive their various self-aspects as interconnected, such that their thoughts and feelings about themselves are similar across these self-aspects. The present research shows self-overlap influences moral behavior. Specifically, people high in self-overlap (interconnected self-aspects) are more likely to behave ethically than people low in overlap (independent self-aspects), because they tend to see their actions as “self-diagnostic” (i.e., representative of the type of person they are). In six studies, we find this pattern of behavior for chronic/measured (Studies 1 and 2) and situational/manipulated self-overlap (Studies 3 – 6). We show people low in self-overlap behave as though they have “no self to spare”—unless their actions are presented as non-diagnostic for inferences about the self (Study 5), or unless they do not value the context-relevant moral characteristic (e.g., being altruistic; Study 6). Finally, we introduce a 7-item measure of perceptions of self-diagnosticity (SDS).

Suggested Citation

  • Touré-Tillery, Maferima & Light, Alysson E., 2018. "No self to spare: How the cognitive structure of the self influences moral behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 48-64.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:147:y:2018:i:c:p:48-64
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2018.05.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ebrahimi, Mahdi & Kouchaki, Maryam & Patrick, Vanessa M., 2020. "Juggling work and home selves: Low identity integration feels less authentic and increases unethicality," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 101-111.
    2. Veronica L. Thomas & Hooman Mirahmad & Grace Kemper, 2022. "The role of response efficacy and risk aversion in promoting compliance during crisis," Journal of Consumer Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(4), pages 1454-1474, December.
    3. Maferima Touré-Tillery & Lili Wang, 2022. "The Good-on-Paper Effect: How the Decision Context Influences Virtuous Behavior," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 41(5), pages 1004-1024, September.
    4. Lyons, Brent J. & Lynch, John W. & Johnson, Tiffany D., 2020. "Gay and lesbian disclosure and heterosexual identity threat: The role of heterosexual identity commitment in shaping de-stigmatization," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 1-18.

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