Beyond Moral Reasoning Scores: Life Story Interviews and the Interpersonal Nature of Advertising

Abstract

The current study is the first to report N2 Defining Issues Test (DIT) moral reasoning scores and life-story interviews of advertising executives perceived as ethical leaders. Combining N2 scores with in-depth moral justifications provides a detailed view of morality to better understand what normatively appropriate behavior is, both in and outside of advertising, and how it develops. Scores reflect the preference to apply universal moral principles, especially when depicting strategic communication scenarios, yet there is less preference for universal moral reasoning when personal interest justifications are also considered. Life stories provide evidence of introspection and growth in response to adversity and ethical breaches; situational moral reasoning reflective of the human-centric, empathetic, and interpersonal nature of advertising; and a desire to do social good representative of empathy in action.

Acknowledgments

Thank you to all the participants of this study for your candor and generosity of time.

Notes

1 Visit https://ethicaldevelopment.ua.edu/about-the-dit.html for a searchable database of studies utilizing DIT, which includes data on samples.

2 For more information on validity assessment, effect sizes, and reliability measures, consult the DIT manual.

3 N2 scores can be calculated only for original dilemmas by the center. Using the DIT manual, the researcher hand scored all six dilemmas, including the two tailored dilemmas, and confirmed that the four original dilemma scores matched the center’s scores.

4 Findings are presented as verbatim quotes using participant pseudonyms. See Table 2 for demographic details and pseudonyms and Table 3 in the appendix for additional excerpts. Figure 1 provides a visual of themes.