Counterfactual and Factual Reflection: The Influence of Past Misdeeds on Future Immoral Behavior

ABSTRACT

Though the decision to behave immorally is situated within the context of prior immoral behavior, research has provided contradictory insights into this process. In a series of experiments, we demonstrate that the effects of prior immoral behavior depend on how individuals think about, or reflect on, their immoral behavior. In Experiment 1, participants who reflected counterfactually on their prior moral lapses morally disengaged (i.e., rationalized) less than participants who reflected factually. In Experiment 2, participants who reflected counterfactually on their prior moral lapses experienced more guilt than those who reflected factually. Finally, in Experiments 3 and 4, participants who reflected counterfactually lied less on unrelated tasks with real monetary stakes than those who reflected factually. Our studies provide important insights into moral rationalization and moral compensation processes and demonstrate the profound influence of reflection in everyday moral life.

Keywords:

• behavioral ethics
• counterfactual reflection
• moral compensation
• moral disengagement

Notes

1. We found no effects for gender across the four studies and, therefore, removed gender from the analyses.

2. We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for pointing out this alternative explanation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joseph P. Gaspar

Joseph P. Gaspar is an Assistant Professor of Management in the School of Business at Quinnipiac University. His research focuses on deception in negotiations and ethical decision making in organizations.

Mark A. Seabright

Mark A. Seabright is a Professor of Management in the Division of Business and Economics at Western Oregon University. His research interests include business ethics and sustainability.

Scott J. Reynolds

Scott J. Reynolds is an Associate Professor of Business Ethics and the Weyerhaeuser Faculty Fellow at the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. His research addresses topics related to moral decision-making such as moral awareness, moral attentiveness, and moral intuition.

Kai Chi Yam

Kai Chi Yam is currently a PhD student at the University of Washington with research interests in behavioral ethics and ethical leadership. He is moving to the National University of Singapore as an Assistant Professor in June 2015.