Ethical Dissonance Research Articles

The impact of materialism and moral identity on post-neutralization behavior in social media environmental campaigns

When consumers become aware of their inconsistent ethical behavior, they experience ethical dissonance and attempt to rationalize their past misconduct through neutralization techniques. This article examines post-neutralization behavior: whether neutralization prompts participants who have refused to donate to one campaign to rectify their moral lapse by donating to a subsequent campaign. Materialism and moral identity are shown to interact within individuals. Three studies demonstrate that, in the absence of neutralization, consumers with higher levels of materialism donate more to subsequent causes regardless of their moral identity levels, while those with lower materialism donate more when they have high moral identity. Neutralization prevents this compensatory behavior and decreases donations from highly materialistic consumers. They only donate more when they also have high moral identity. This research examines a series of environmental campaigns for fundraising on social media to explore post-transgression and post-neutralization behavior.

What you think is a joke is actually cyberbullying: The effects of ethical dissonance, event judgment and humor style on cyberbullying behavior

This study examines the roles that gender, family economics, ethical dissonance, event judgment, and humor style play in cyberbullying. This cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey, and 360 Chinese college students participated. The results show that boys have more cyberbullying (flaming) experience than girls and are more likely to use aggressive humor in daily life; girls feel more ethical dissonance than boys in denigration events, are more likely to correctly judge this as bullying, and more often use self-enhancing humor. Students from well-off families are more likely to use affiliative humor than students from moderate and disadvantaged financial situations; students from moderate and well-off families are more likely to correctly identify denigration as bullying behavior than students from economically disadvantaged families; and students from economically disadvantaged families perceive a higher level of ethical dissonance in flaming events. In addition, the variables were correlated with each other to a certain extent and significantly jointly predicted the three types of cyberbullying behaviors; event judgment and aggressive humor were the common predictors.

Communication strategies for moral rebels: How to talk about change in order to inspire self‐efficacy in others

AbstractCurrent carbon‐intensive lifestyles are unsustainable and drastic social changes are required to combat climate change. To achieve such change, moral rebels (i.e., individuals who deviate from current behavioral norms based on ethical considerations) may be crucial catalyzers. However, the current literature holds that moral rebels may do more harm than good. By deviating from what most people do, based on a moral concern, moral rebels pose a threat to the moral self‐view of their observers who share but fail to uphold that concern. Those observers may realize that their behavior does not live up to their moral values, and feel morally inadequate as a result. Work on “do‐gooder derogation” demonstrates that rebel‐induced threat can elicit defensive reactance among observers, resulting in the rejection of moral rebels and their behavioral choices. Such findings suggest that advocates for social change should avoid triggering moral threat by, for example, presenting nonmoral justifications for their choices. We challenge this view by arguing that moral threat may be a necessary ingredient to achieve social change precisely because it triggers ethical dissonance. Thus, instead of avoiding moral justifications, it may be more effective to harness that threat. Ethical dissonance may offer the fuel needed for observers to engage in self‐improvement after being exposed to moral rebels, provided that observers feel capable of changing. Whether or not observers feel capable of changing, however, depends on how rebels communicate their moral choices to others—how they talk about change.This article is categorized under: Perceptions, Behaviour and Communication of Climate Change > Behaviour Change and Responses

Ethical dissonance in environmental advertising: Moderating effects of self-benefit versus other-benefit appeals

The authors examine how consumers react to online prosocial advertising reminding them that they have violated ethical standards. Findings show that consumers feel ethical dissonance when recognizing that they have made uncivil online comments or have stood by while others did so. To alleviate the discomfort, they are likely to support a subsequent although unrelated environmental campaign. The effect is contingent upon whether the second message indicates that the advocated actions will benefit others or consumers alone. Specifically, ethical dissonance in one domain motivates consumers to adopt ethical behaviours in another domain, but only when the second domain appears to benefit others. In contrast, self-benefit appeals may cause ethical dissonance to backfire, so that consumers reject the subsequent environmental campaign. Mediational analyses show that heightened guilt (shame) drives the positive (negative) effects of other (self)-benefit appeals. Theoretical implications and ideas for future research are discussed.

Weak Signal-Oriented Investigation of Ethical Dissonance Applied to Unsuccessful Mobility Experiences Linked to Human-Machine Interactions.

Ethical dissonance arises from conflicts between beliefs or behaviors and affects ethical factors such as normality or conformity. This paper proposes a weak signal-oriented framework to investigate ethical dissonance from experiences linked to human-machine interactions. It is based on a systems engineering principle called human-systems inclusion, which considers any experience feedback of weak signals as beneficial to learn. The framework studies weak signal-based scenarios from testimonies of individual experiences and these scenarios are assessed by other people. For this purpose, the framework proposes several databases as sources of weak signals, formalization tools of experience feedback of weak signals, models of references of conformity, ethical factors, and a list of examples of ethical dissonance. It also includes sequential steps to make the latter credible regarding the results from the experimental protocols. The framework was used to investigate ethical dissonance by analyzing experiences pertaining to achieving inclusive mobility. The first example focuses on ethical dissonance in terms of hindrance that goes against autonomous mobility due to a misunderstanding of how the system functions in terms of negative and positive emotions. Two other examples present possible ethical dissonance when the use of safety systems such as car driver-assistance systems, may create danger. Investigating ethical dissonance can then help system-inclusive design or evaluation processes by taking into account scenarios from weak signal-based experiences and making them credible.

MORAL DISSONANCE AT WORK AND EMPLOYEES’ PSYCHO-PHYSICAL HEALTH

The main objective of this research was to determine the frequency of the occurrence of moral dissonance in the workplace, and its possible consequences for employees’ psycho-physical health. External ethical dissonance at work is defined as a condition stemming from a discrepancy between the employee action and ethical standards in place in the organization, and is primarily caused by the unethical pressure of the management. A sample of 311 employees of both genders, employed both in the private and public sector, with different educational levels and of different ages and seniority, have applied measures of psycho-physical health, measures of frequency of ethical dissonance at work, and the Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire. Results show that out of 311 respondents, 72% of them report that they have been in a state of external ethical dissonance at least once in the past year, so we conducted further analyses on data gathered from these 224 employees. Factor analysis of the SUED2R questionnaire has revealed that measures of external ethical dissonance are classified into three indicators, according to the type of unethical pressure: lying for the benefit of the organization, harassing others, and supporting wrong people in the organization. We have found that the incidence of such ethical dissonance is significantly higher in the private than in the public sector, that the increased incidence of all three forms of work dissonance is associated with an increased incidence of symptoms of health disorders. It is concluded that the pressure to act unethically (corrupt behavior) probably contributes to the deterioration of employees’ health. The significance of these findings is that, for the first time, they clearly demonstrate a systematic link between pressuring employees into corrupt behavior, and their psycho-physical health.

PRE-SERVICE SPORT SPECIALISTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Academic integrity is fundamental value of pre-service sport specialists’ professional competence developing, which promote public confidence in coaching and teaching as a process for professional and personal development. There is an ethical dissonance that the distribution of all dishonesty types was significantly higher than the perception of their legitimacy and that students conduct academic dishonesty despite its perception as unethical (Blau & Eshet-Alkalai, 2017). The research aim is to reveal the pre-service sport specialists’ perceptions of academic integrity and to find out the ways for promotion of academic integrity. The methods: a theoretical analysis of scientific literature, an interpretative phenomenological semi-structured interview, open and axial coding. The research sample 135 pre-service sport specialist, voluntary participants, 47% – female, 53% – male. The main research results: academic integrity perception is important for the development of pre-service sport specialists’ professional competence. Pre-service sport specialists' main opinion about benefit of being academically dishonest is time saving and personal gain. The main causes of academic dishonesty are laziness, lack of knowledge and competence, searching for an easy way.

Ethical Dilemmas in Professional Planning Practice in the United States

Problem, research strategy, and findings: We interviewed 61 practicing planners seeking deeper insights into what motivates their decisions and how they personally determine ethical behavior in the more contested and real-world situations they face. We asked how planners balance their own ethics, their individual take on professional planning ethics, their workplace cultures, and the specific principles embodied in professional codes. We combined these semistructured qualitative interviews with our prior survey results as part of a sequential mixed-methods research project to allow practitioners and academics to better understand the ethical bases of professional planning practice in the United States. Our interviewees confirmed most practicing planners regularly face ethical dilemmas in their professional practice. We find, in addition to the expected ethical dilemmas due to planners’ commitments to both the scientific legitimacy of their technical analysis and the democratic legitimacy of political decision makers’ implementation of those recommendations, most of our interviewees experienced ethical conflicts between their private ethics and those they use in their professional practice. Despite this ethical dissonance, their espoused behaviors were largely consistent with rule-based ethical frameworks, many of which are embedded in the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Though practicing planners felt the code was influential and useful, they also found it difficult to follow in practice. Finally, private-sector planners felt the code neglects to address the ethical concerns they face in practice.Takeaways for practice: Professional planners use different ethical frameworks depending on the context of the ethical dilemma faced and their workplace culture. Professional planners struggle with emotional and ethical dissonance in their attempts to balance their private ethics, their workplace norms and culture, and their professional code of ethics. The AICP Code could benefit from a round of revisions focusing on how the code can help minimize this inherent dissonance. Finally, professional planners should practice resolving ethical conflicts between their private and professional ethical perspectives as well as those between the legitimacy of technical planning expertise and democratic decision making.

How is the ethical dissonance index affected by technology, academic dishonesty type and individual differences?

AbstractAcademic dishonesty has been growing in both digital and analog settings. The present study aimed to generalize the ethical dissonance index (EDI), which was established in a sample of Israeli school students as the gap between the pervasiveness of academic dishonesty and its perceived legitimacy. Furthermore, the study examined how technology, dishonesty type and individual differences affect these factors. The study employed a scenario‐based approach – an indirect strategy for deducing academic dishonest behaviors. Participants were 1055 school students from various grade levels, geographic locations and religious/ethnic sectors. Results regarding the role of technology revealed that, overall, digital academic dishonesty was less pervasive and deemed more legitimate compared to analog dishonesty. However, this relationship varied as a function of dishonesty type. Findings confirmed that students experienced some level of ethical dissonance, generalizing the EDI. Notably, individual differences did not affect the relationship between media, dishonesty type and the EDI.

"Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should": Practitioner Perceptions of Learning Analytics Ethics

Learning analytics involve the process of gathering data about students and using the information to intervene in their lives to improve learning and institutional outcomes. Many academic libraries now participate in learning analytics. However, such practices raise privacy and intellectual freedom issues due to sensitive data practices. But, few research studies address how library practitioners perceive the ethical issues. This article does so by analyzing interviews with library practitioners. The findings suggest that library professionals seek ethical "bright lines"—that is, clearly defined standards—where few exist and that ethical guidance is limited. Though library practitioners recognize that data practices should be scoped and justified, their efforts have come under severe scrutiny—and sometimes harassment—from their professional peers. The article highlights why ethical dissonance has emerged in the profession regarding learning analytics and how library practices might better account for the harms and benefits of learning analytics.

The ethical dilemma of provisioning pelagic birds in exchange for a close encounter

ABSTRACTThe rapid expansion of wildlife tourism over recent decades has led to a growing concern about the potential negative impacts these viewing activities can have on targeted species. Marine wildlife tourism has been no exception, and many researchers have investigated the issues surrounding wildlife watching activities for various marine species. The majority of such studies have focussed on the potential negative effects on either the species in question, on visitor education, or on tourist satisfaction. Only recently have ethical dimensions been addressed, particularly the practice of provisioning wildlife during touristic encounters. This study explored the tourist experience of pelagic birdwatching tours in Kaikoura and on Stewart Island, New Zealand. Unprompted, qualitative comments from birdwatchers discussed the close encounters with pelagic birds and the practice of provisioning the birds. Results reveal the ethical dissonance of not agreeing with feeding wildlife while simultaneously enjoying viewing pelagic birds at close range. The results suggest that tourists are concerned about the potential negative effects of feeding pelagic birds, but accept these for the benefit of their own wildlife experience.

Illegitimate returns as a trigger for customers’ ethical dissonance

This study investigates the combined impact of customer merchandise return circumstances (legitimate or illegitimate) and service employee responses on customer outcomes (loyalty and ingratiation), through the lens of the ethical dissonance framework. Respondents (N = 916) were randomly divided among six experimental conditions in a 2 × 3 between-subjects design. As predicted, returns circumstances moderated the relationship between employee responses and customer outcomes: Despite employees’ angry response to delinquent customers, the latter's levels of loyalty toward the business as well as ingratiation toward the service employees were less damaged than in the case of normative customers exposed to the same employee angry response. This, we suggest, reflects an intention to quiet the dissonance on the part of the customers upon realizing that their delinquent behavior was evident to the service employee.

Is Behavioral Ethics Ready for Giving Business and Policy Advice?

This essay is a critical perspective of the applicability of behavioral ethics in business and policy interventions. I summarize a series of proposed interventions to increase people’s honesty, inspired by ethical dissonance theory, such as increasing salience of moral norms, visibility, and self-engagement. Although I agree that behavioral ethics could offer simple, low-cost interventions with the potential of reducing unethical behavior (not only) in organizations, there are several risks and methodological limitations not sufficiently discussed. The interventions thus could eventually lead to weaker positive impacts or even long-term negative consequences. I suggest several alternative approaches to decrease dishonesty such as making the moral choice easier, implementing salient accountability, and removing dishonesty temptations and dishonest employees. The article concludes with a warning that unrealistic expectations may damage the credibility of behavioral ethics.

The ethical dissonance in digital and non-digital learning environments: Does technology promotes cheating among middle school students?

This paper explores the rapidly-expanding phenomenon of technology-based academic dishonesty (AD). One hundred and twenty seven 7th graders received scenarios of AD, based on Pavela's (1997) framework of AD types (i.e. cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, and facilitation), in digital and non-digital settings. Participants reported on the pervasiveness of AD types in their class and on the perception of their legitimacy. The “Ethical Dissonance Index” (EDI) is calculated as the difference between the pervasiveness and the legitimacy of AD types. The ethical dissonance that learners experience when conducting academic dishonesty behaviors is expressed by the consistent findings, that the pervasiveness of all dishonesty types was significantly higher than the perception of their legitimacy. These findings indicate that students conduct AD despite its perception as unethical. In the digital setting, plagiarism is the most common type of AD, perceived as the most legitimate, and characterized by the greatest EDI. In the non-digital setting, cheating and fabrication are the most common types of AD, perceived as the most legitimate, and characterized by the greatest EDI. Educational implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.

Why My Jewishness Compels Me to Stand for Justice in Palestine

Why My Jewishness Compels Me to Stand for Justice in Palestine

The Impact of Ethical Dissonance on Performance in Inter-Firm Relationships

The Impact of Ethical Dissonance on Performance in Inter-Firm Relationships

“I can see it in your eyes”: Biased Processing and Increased Arousal in Dishonest Responses

AbstractAccording to self‐maintenance theory, people notice their dishonest acts and thus experience ethical dissonance between their misconduct and their positive moral self. In this view, dishonesty is facilitated by justifications that redefine moral boundaries. By contrast, the bounded ethicality approach suggests that biased perception prevents people from becoming aware of their dishonesty. We tested the key process assumptions behind these accounts using pupillary responses and fixation data and found physiological evidence for both kinds of mechanisms. In particular, physiological arousal increased at the initial stage of cheating responses. This suggests that people are on some level aware of their wrongdoings. At the same time, however, we found attentional biases that can reduce the likelihood for detecting potentially disadvantageous information. We suggest that dishonest acts come at the internal cost of increased tension, which people aim to avoid by pre‐emptive biased processing as well as post hoc justifications. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

'I Can See it in Your Eyes': Biased Processing and Increased Arousal in Dishonest Responses

According to Self-Maintenance theory, people notice their dishonest acts, and thus experience ethical dissonance between their misconduct and their positive moral self. In this view, dishonesty is facilitated by justifications that redefine moral boundaries. By contrast, the Bounded Ethicality approach suggests that biased perception prevents people from becoming aware of their dishonesty. We tested the key process assumptions behind these accounts using pupillary responses and fixation data and found physiological evidence for both kinds of mechanisms. In particular, physiological arousal increased at the initial stage of cheating responses. This suggests that people are on some level aware of their wrongdoings. At the same time, however, we found attentional biases that can reduce the likelihood for detecting potentially disadvantageous information. We suggest that dishonest acts come at the internal cost of increased tension, which people aim to avoid by preemptive biased processing as well as post-hoc justifications.

Anthropology, Ethical Dissonance, and the Construction of the Object

In this article, I discuss certain questions relating to the ethical difficulties faced by anthropologists when dealing with two different social groups and when one group holds a position of dominance over the other. In the first example, I draw on my work on doctor-patient relationships in France; in the second, on a study on reproduction in immigrant African families from Mali and Senegal, living in polygynous households in France. I use these examples to explore questions of positionality, beneficence, and potential harm. I show the choices I made in order to construct an epistemologically ethical object.

Professionalism in a digital age: opportunities and considerations for using social media in health care.

Since the beginning of the millennium, there has been a remarkable change in how people access and share information. Much of this information is user-generated content found on social media sites. As digital technologies and social media continue to expand, health care providers must adapt their professional communication to meet the expectations and needs of consumers. This adaptation may include communication on social media sites. However, many health care providers express concerns that professional social media use, particularly interactions with patients, is ethically problematic. Social media engagement does not create ethical dissonance if best practices are observed and online communication adheres to terms of service, professional standards, and organizational policy. A well-executed social media presence provides health care providers, including physical therapists, the opportunity-and perhaps a professional obligation-to use social media sites to share or create credible health care information, filling a consumer void for high-quality online information on fitness, wellness, and rehabilitation. This perspective article provides a broad review of the emergence of social media in society and health care, explores policy implications of organizational adoption of health care social media, and proposes individual opportunities and guidelines for social media use by the physical therapy professional.