A Moral Theory of Public Service Motivation.

Tse-Min Wang,Arjen Van Witteloostuijn,Florian Heine

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.517763

Tse-Min Wang, Arjen Van Witteloostuijn + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.517763

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Abstract

Morality constructs the relationship between the self and others, providing a sense of appropriateness that facilitates and coordinates social behaviors. We start from Moral Foundation Theory (MFT), and argue that multiple moral domains can shape the meaning of public service and engender Public Service Motivation (PSM). From the lens of cognitive science, we develop a causal map for PSM by understanding the social cognition process underlying PSM, focusing on five innate moralities as the potential antecedents of PSM: Care, Fairness, Authority, Loyalty, and Sanctity. Extending moral domains beyond compassion and justice can provide a disaggregated view of PSM, which may help to identify institutional and cultural variation in the meaning of PSM. We discuss the theoretical implications of synthesizing MFT and PSM literatures, and provide directions for future research that could improve our understanding of PSM.

Highlights

Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy, drowned on September 02, 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea when he and his family tried to flee to Europe
Moral Foundation Theory (MFT) postulates that humans are motivated to suppress selfishness by various combinations of cultural traits, referred to as moral foundations (MFs), which are innate, modular, and irreducible. In line with this theory, we argue that people feel motivated to provide public service because moral foundations trigger a socially and institutionally competent person to regulate selfishness and collaborate with others by eliciting Public Service Motivation (PSM)-relevant beliefs, attitudes, and memories
We argue that specific moral foundations are associated with certain aspects of PSM, and thereby may influence social behavior differently

Summary

Introduction

Alan Kurdi, a 3-year-old Syrian boy, drowned on September 02, 2015 in the Mediterranean Sea when he and his family tried to flee to Europe Images of his toddler’s lifeless body lying facedown on a Turkish beach made global headlines and reverberated across the world. Moral emotions establish a motivational and cognitive state in which there is an increased tendency to engage in prosocial actions. Motivation to perform public service can be seen as an emotional goal system that responds to social stimuli throughout life events and in institutional environments. We aim to reposition moral emotions inside the theory of Public Service Motivation (PSM) by examining the social cognition process underlying PSM

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