Being moral motivates consumers to work harder and accept challenges

Anirban Som

Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science, 2024, vol. 34, issue 4, 534-558

Abstract: Research on sequential choice has extensively demonstrated moral licensing across traits such as fairness, compassion, and honesty; however, the impact of moral licensing on industriousness remains unexplored. To establish the robustness of moral licensing, diverse moral traits must be considered. This article explores moral licensing versus consistency in sequential behaviour paradigms, specifically focusing on industriousness across three experiments. Employing a single-factor between-subjects design, the first two experiments reveal that individuals engaged in moral activities are subsequently more likely than those who are not involved in moral activities to accept difficult tasks. The third experiment extends these findings, showing that those involved in moral activities are more inclined than those who are not involved in moral activities to choose products requiring effort. Moreover, it confirms the mediating role of positive moral identity in explaining the connection between past moral actions and subsequent industrious behaviours. In contrast to prior research, which emphasised the potential of moral behaviours leading to subsequent unethical actions, this study contributes to the moral licensing literature by demonstrating the positive influence of past moral actions on subsequent industrious behaviour.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1080/21639159.2024.2355960

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