Comparing ethical self-superiority in the fields of doing ethical behaviors and not doing unethical behaviors

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Department of Psychology, Buinzahra Branch, Islamic Azad University, Buinzahra, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the ethical self-superiority in terms of doing good deeds and in terms of not doing bad deeds. moral self-superiority has two forms: (1) the belief that "I do good things more than others", and (2) the belief that "I do bad things less than others", and the intensity of moral self-superiority can be different in these two areas. The research design was experimental and within-subjects and the research population were students of Islamic Azad University of Buin Zahra in 2016-17 academic year (N=5000) among which 73 were selected using random sampling. The research tool was a researcher-made scale in which the subjects were asked to determine whether they or others are more likely to do seven moral and immoral behaviors. One-sample t-test showed that when the subjects are confronted with unethical behaviors, they confirm that they are less likely than others to perform the behaviors (self-superiority), but when they encounter ethical behaviors, they do not announce that they are more likely than others to perform the behaviors (do not have self-superiority).

Keywords

References

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Journal of Applied Psychological Research
Volume 8, Issue 1
August 2017
Pages 157-168

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History

  • Receive Date: 04 January 2017
  • Revise Date: 14 October 2017
  • Accept Date: 09 March 2017
  • First Publish Date: 21 April 2017
  • Publish Date: 21 April 2017

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