“Good people don’t need medication”: How moral character beliefs affect medical decision making

Abstract

We propose that moral character beliefs influence medical treatment choices. In comparison to behavioral treatments, medication is believed to be an “easy way out,” showing a lack of willpower and, therefore, a lack of moral character. These beliefs lower the appeal of medication treatments relative to behavioral treatments. Reducing the impact of moral beliefs moderates this effect. Specifically, the preference for behavior over medication attenuates when treatment choice is framed as “just a preference” and therefore irrelevant to moral character inferences. Finally, we find that when medication is the more effective option, it is no longer viewed as showing worse moral character. This is because two competing indirect effects occur: Medication is still viewed as showing worse willpower than (ineffective) behavior which shows worse moral character, but it is also viewed as creating better outcomes which shows better moral character. Our findings highlight the importance of moral identity in health decision-making.