Tutorial 6 - Article 1 - Ethically adrift

Question 1

What is meant with the moral compass?

Answer 1

An individuals’ inner sense of right and wrong

Question 2

What are the three stages of how our moral compass can be socially redirected?

Answer 2

1) Moral neglect
2) Moral justification
3) Moral inaction

Question 3

What is moral neglect?

Answer 3

Neglecting the moral import/impact of our actions

Question 4

What is moral justification?

Answer 4

Finding and creating justifications for our immoral actions

Question 5

What is moral inaction?

Answer 5

The failure to behave ethically

Question 6

What are social psychological facilitators of moral neglect?

Answer 6

1) Social norms
2) Social categorization

Question 7

Why is social norms a facilitator of moral neglect?

Answer 7

Expectations regarding our behavior in specific contexts are a strong influence on how we behave. Others establish a standard for (un)ethical behavior

Question 8

Why is social categorization a facilitator of moral neglect?

Answer 8

Social categorization is the process by which individuals differentiate between those who are like them and whose who are unlike them. It amplifies the effect of social norms. Norms are stronger if we perceive those enacting them to be similar to ourselves

Question 9

What are organizational aggravators of moral neglect?

Answer 9

1) Organizational socialization
2) Roles
3) Goals

Question 10

Why is organizational socialization an aggravator of moral neglect?

Answer 10

It sets up behavioral expectations for individuals with regards to organizational practices and goals

Question 11

Why are roles an organizational aggravator of moral neglect?

Answer 11

It establishes behavioral expectations surrounding one’s position, which may instigate immoral behavior too

Question 12

Why are goals an organizational aggravator of moral neglect?

Answer 12

People are more likely to behave unethically in order to achieve goals set out for them by an organization

Question 13

What is the psychological consequence of moral neglect?

Answer 13

Moral fading - inattentiveness to moral content of our decisions over the longer term

Question 14

What are social psychological facilitators of moral justification?

Answer 14

1) Social comparison
2) Self-verification

Question 15

Why is social comparison a facilitator of moral justification?

Answer 15

We use others (similar others, in a similar job/function) as our points of comparison due to lack of objective standards

Question 16

Why is self-verification a facilitator of moral justification?

Answer 16

People tend to verify, validate and sustain existing views of themselves

Question 17

What are organizational aggravators of moral justification?

Answer 17

1) Organizational identificaion
2) Group loyalty
3) Business framing / euphemistic language

Question 18

Why is organizational identification an organizational aggravator of moral justificaion?

Answer 18

Individuals can appeal to the organization (higher cause) to make practices appear morally worthy

Question 19

Why is group loyalty an organizational aggravator of moral justification?

Answer 19

People abandon moral norms in order to give preferences to local group norms

Question 20

Why is business framing an organizational aggravator of moral justification?

Answer 20

Business language specifies what is important and expected in organizations

Question 21

What are the psychological consequences of moral justification?

Answer 21

1) Moral disengagement
2) Moral hypocrisy
3) Moral licensing

Question 22

Why is moral disengagement a consequence of moral justification?

Answer 22

A set of cognitive mechanisms that deactives the self-sanctions that typically compel us to behave morally

Question 23

Why is moral hypocrisy a consequence of moral justification?

Answer 23

People can easily engage in immoral actions without affecting their self-image as a moral person if they can justify these actions

Question 24

Why is moral licensing a consequence of moral justification?

Answer 24

Prior moral actions can be used as a license to commit later immoral actions

Question 25

What are the social psychological facilitators of moral inaction?

Answer 25

1) Social conformity
2) Diffusion of responsibility
3) Obedience to authority

Question 26

Why is social conformity a facilitator of moral inaction?

Answer 26

Fear of potential social embarrassment weighs larger then the fear of inaccuracy (Asch experiment)

Question 27

Why is diffusion of responsibility a facilitator of moral inaction?

Answer 27

Individuals are less likely to take responsibility for actions if the cost can be shared among multiple parties

Question 28

Why is obedience to authority a facilitator of moral inaction?

Answer 28

Moral inaction is facilited by the tendency to obey legitimate authority figures (Milgram)

Question 29

What are the organizational aggravators of moral inaction?

Answer 29

1) Bureaucracy and anonymity
2) Hierarchy

Question 30

Why is bureaucracy and anonymity an organizational aggravator of moral inaction?

Answer 30

People feel shielded from personal responsibility

Question 31

Why is hierarchy an organizational aggravator of moral inaction?

Answer 31

People can use the hierarchy to absolve themselves from personal responsibility for acts undertaken

Question 32

What are the psychological consequences of moral inaction?

Answer 32

1) Delegation of moral agency
2) Denial and self-deception

Question 33

Why is delegation of moral agency a psychological consequence of moral inaction?

Answer 33

It becomes possible to commit unethical acts without commensurate feelings of personal responsibility

Question 34

Why is denial and self-deception a psychological consequence of moral inaction?

Answer 34

They help individuals protect the self-concept from negative attributions caused by moral inaction