Beware of “moral people”
I just stumbled across a fascinating article (Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals) from LiveScience, reporting on research showing that when people have
a) a sense of themselves as being “moral people” and
b) a flexible sense of what constitutes right and wrong
they are more likely to cheat. Here’s an extract, but it’s worth reading the whole thing.
Morally upstanding people are the do-gooders of society, right? Actually, a new study finds that a sense of moral superiority can lead to unethical acts, such as cheating. In fact, some of the best do-gooders can become the worst cheats.
Stop us if this sounds familiar.
When asked to describe themselves, most people typically will rattle off a list of physical features and activities (for example, “I do yoga” or “I’m a paralegal”). But some people have what scientists call a moral identity, in which the answer to the question would include phrases like “I am honest” and “I am a caring person.”
Past research has suggested that people who describe themselves with words such as honest and generous are also more likely to engage in volunteer work and other socially responsible acts.
But often in life, the line between right and wrong becomes blurry, particularly when it comes to cheating on a test or in the workplace. For example, somebody could rationalize cheating on a test as a way of achieving their dream of becoming a doctor and helping people.
In the new study, detailed in the November issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers find that when this line between right and wrong is ambiguous among people who think of themselves as having high moral standards, the do-gooders can become the worst of cheaters.
The “ends justify the means” was pretty much the hallmark of the Bush administration, which of course was headed by a president who saw himself as being “bringing morality back to the White House .” He was so moral that spying, lying, and torture were no obstacles to him achieving his aims of “ridding the world of evil.” (When you think about it, it’s astonishing that Bush wasn’t laughed out of town for declaring that he intended to rid the world of evil — what a hubristic policy goal!).
The main thing that sprung to my mind, though, was the power of labels and of self-definitions in particular. Of course it’s possible for some people to consider themselves moral people and to follow a strict code of ethics, but I’d suggest that for some people the thought “I am a moral person” is simply a label, and that the reasoning goes, “…and since I am a moral person, everything I do is therefore moral, even if it contravenes conventional morality.”
Scott Reynolds of the University of Washington Business School in Seattle, who carried out this research, suggests that ethics classes would help, although I’m not confident that’s the case. I suspect that the people who he’s identified would simply cheat on their ethics exams — after all the ends justify the means. I suspect that it takes introspective self-awareness — sometimes in an extreme fashion, as arises in intensive meditation retreats — to bring about greater honesty. I’ve sometimes found that I can only accept my own hypocrisy when I have to sit with my mind for hour after hour and finally run out of ways to hide from myself. And that’s not something you can usually force on people. Reynolds does add, “If you can recruit people with a moral identity and then train them appropriately, you’ll get some of the best behavior you can imagine,” and I think the flip-side of that is the organizations need to find ways to screen out “moral” people who considered cheating to be an ethically justifiable behavior.
3 Responses to “Beware of “moral people””
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You’re currently reading “Beware of “moral people”,” an entry on Bodhipaksa's blog, bodhi tree swaying
Published: Jun 11 2009
Hi Bodhipaksa, Thanks for highlighting this article. It’s a very good reminder. Self-righteousness is indeed a pitfall that many ‘moral people’ fall into unknowingly. Although I don’t see myself as a moral person, I do see myself as a ‘good’ man sometimes, especially when I’m at a dilemma. This is no less dangerous than what the author has mentioned. Because my mind is trying to form an identity that shouts for recognition and even acclamation (gasp!). Once it’s formed, it’ll be used as a front to do evil things for ‘good’ causes. I must stay vigilant. Wish me luck.
It seems from the research that having an idea of oneself as “moral” is mainly a problem when it’s not accompanied with a clear set of internalized ethical rules. It’s that combination that makes “moral” people more likely to cheat than the average person. But one thing that’s been striking me recently is how the Buddha stressed the need to abandon all views of oneself, and what you say seems to be in line with that. As soon as we have an idea of ourselves being a good person we look for others to recognize that. We cling to our self-identification and suffer when it’s not validated by others.
Hi Bodhipaksa
The text made me think of the sad image we have of politicians in my country (Brazil). The most ‘traditional’ ones would start every speech by saying how honest and ‘explaining’ how sincere they are in their intentions to help the needy population. Sadly, these are usually the same people who embezzle piblic money which would help poor children. I know this is my ‘local’ view and most politicians in affluent countries are not so obviously hypocritical as here but I felt like sharing my thoughts.