Belief management and unethical behavior

Samuel Lindquist, Silvia Saccardo and Marta Serra-Garcia

Chapter 8 in Research Handbook on Unethical Behavior, 2026, pp 118-137 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Understanding the origins of unethical behavior is fundamental to developing effective policies and promoting the welfare of societies and organizations at large. This chapter reviews a growing body of evidence showing that many instances of unethical behavior arise when individuals manage their beliefs to engage in self-serving actions while preserving the perception that they are acting appropriately. We first discuss the core motives for belief distortion: hedonic motives, centered on self-image preservation, and instrumental motives, aimed at influencing others or sustaining goal pursuit. We then review how individuals actively manage their beliefs through mechanisms such as information avoidance, biased interpretation of information, and selective memory. Next, we describe documented cognitive, social, and contextual constraints, which limit when and how individuals can manipulate their beliefs, and discuss evidence of sophistication in belief management. We conclude by outlining promising directions for future research on this topic.

Keywords: Belief distortion; Morality; Sophistication; Experiments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035307265
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