Emotional

Moral Licensing

What it is

Using past good behavior as permission to act badly in the present.

How it works

After performing a virtuous act, people feel they have earned "moral credits" that allow them to subsequently behave in less ethical ways without guilt. Persuaders can exploit this by first helping someone feel virtuous, then asking them to do something they would normally resist.

Real-world examples

  • •A company touting its charity work while engaging in exploitative labor practices.
  • •Someone who donated to an environmental cause feeling justified in taking a gas-guzzling road trip.
  • •A manager who hired diversely feeling entitled to make an insensitive comment.

Ethical guidelines

  • ●Good deeds do not create a moral surplus that offsets harmful actions.
  • ●Evaluate each action on its own ethical merits.
  • ●Organizations should not use CSR initiatives as shields for bad practices.

How to defend against it

  • ►Judge each action independently rather than in the context of past virtue.
  • ►Be suspicious when good deeds are prominently advertised alongside questionable behavior.
  • ►Watch for the internal feeling of "I've been good enough, so this is fine."

References

  1. Monin, B., & Miller, D. T. (2001). Moral credentials and the expression of prejudice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(1), 33–43 · link
    Foundational moral-licensing experiments: prior non-prejudiced behavior increased subsequent willingness to express potentially prejudiced views.
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