The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Self-Serving Justifications: Doing Wrong and Feeling Moral
Open accessAbstract
Unethical behavior by “ordinary” people poses significant societal and personal challenges. We present a novel framework centered on the role of self-serving justification to build upon and advance the rapidly expanding research on intentional unethical behavior of people who value their morality highly. We propose that self-serving justifications emerging before and after people engage in intentional ethical violations mitigate the threat to the moral self, enabling them to do wrong while feeling moral. Pre-violation justifications lessen the anticipated threat to the moral self by redefining questionable behaviors as excusable. Post-violation justifications alleviate the experienced threat to the moral self through compensations that balance or lessen violations. We highlight the psychological mechanisms that prompt people to do wrong and feel moral, and suggest future research directions regarding the temporal dimension of self-serving justifications of ethical misconduct.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
1 retracted
Shu, L. L., Mažar, N., Gino, F., Dan Ariely, C., & Bazerman, M. H. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1209746109 · Cited by 353
RetractedA Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Festinger, L. (1957) · doi:10.1515/9781503620766 · Cited by 24,241
A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Morvan, C., & O’Connor, A. (2017) · Macat Library eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781912282432 · Cited by 18,284
Crime and Punishment: An Economic Approach
Becker, G. S. (1968) · Journal of Political Economy · doi:10.1086/259394 · Cited by 13,999
(1979) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 5,872
Moral Disengagement in the Perpetration of Inhumanities
Bandura, A. (1999) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1207/s15327957pspr0303_3 · Cited by 4,228
Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue-Contingent Model
Jones, T. M. (1991) · The Academy of Management Review · doi:10.2307/258867 · Cited by 4,135
The Dishonesty of Honest People: A Theory of Self-Concept Maintenance
Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008) · Journal of Marketing Research · doi:10.1509/jmkr.45.6.633 · Cited by 2,875
Deception: The Role of Consequences
Uri Gneezy, B. (2005) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/0002828053828662 · Cited by 1,676
Tetlock, P. E., Kristel, O. V., Elson, S. B., Green, M. C., & Lerner, J. S. (2000) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.78.5.853 · Cited by 1,400
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Gibson K. W., 2009, Social decision making: Social dilemmas, social values, and ethics, 265
- 10.5465/amr.1991.4278958 · DOI · Paper page
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–400 of 421
Adding a third-party player in the sender-receiver deception game
Xiong, X., Zhang, Y., & Zhou, X. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03928-9 · Cited by 2
Consumer Disclosures on Social Media Platforms: A Global Investigation
Kolesnyk, D. (2021) · RePub (Erasmus University Rotterdam) · Cited by 2
Honesty in the digital agePreprint
Maréchal, M. A., Cohn, A., & Gesche, T. (2020) · Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3198158 · Cited by 2
Don’t Blame Me, Blame Those around Me: How Family and Friends Induce Unethical Acts
Chan, L., & Yoder, C. Y. (2019) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2019.1705092 · Cited by 1
Moral-Cognitive Delay and Distortions
Gibbs, J. C. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-80882-2_4 · Cited by 1
Truth-telling with a smartphone: The effect of communication media in strategic interactions
Cartwright, E. J., & Xue, L. (2023) · Frontiers in Behavioral Economics · doi:10.3389/frbhe.2023.1120697 · Cited by 1
Exploring Bypass Practices on Sharing Platforms: A Typology of Users Who Bypass and Those Who Don’t
Nguyen, S., Bertrand, D., Llosa, S., & Oliver, M. A. (2024) · Journal of Business Ethics · doi:10.1007/s10551-024-05779-9 · Cited by 1
Neurocomputational mechanisms of personal benefits and justifications in moral decision-making
Sai, L., Wang, C., Lv, Y., & Bellucci, G. (2025) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-025-08256-9 · Cited by 3
The dosage of deception: How frequency and type influence trust evaluations
Bitterly, T. B. (2025) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2025.104823 · Cited by 1
Sulaimani, M. N. H. A., Memon, M. A., Mirza, M. Z., Sarwar, N., & Obaid, A. (2025) · Global Business and Organizational Excellence · doi:10.1002/joe.70013 · Cited by 1
A Spillover Effect of Altruistic Cheating: When Benefitting Others Goes Wrong
Halevy, A., Hochman, G., Levine, T. R., Barkan, R., & Ayal, S. (2025) · Journal of Behavioral Decision Making · doi:10.1002/bdm.70049 · Cited by 1
Self-citationSeeing Ourselves as More Honest and Moral: How the mPFC Relates to Self‐Other Trait Judgments
Yin, L., Long, S., Zhang, J., & Zhao, Z. (2025) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.70179 · Cited by 1
Li, M. J., Luo, H., & Xiang, Z. (2026) · Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · doi:10.3389/fsufs.2026.1724462 · Cited by 1
AI Ethics Bylaws for Academia: Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
Almutairi, A. F., Pils, J., Muhammad, N., & Khan, S. (2026) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc16040106 · Cited by 1
Does ignorance love company? The social dynamics of information avoidance
Reher, K., Götz, M., Toscano, F., & Gross, J. (2026) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2026.104917 · Cited by 1
Bocian, K., & Miazek, K. (2026) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2026.113792 · Cited by 1
Beyond rules and results: virtue, behaviour, and the ethics of Indian generation Z at work
Bandyopadhyay, S., Mukherjee, S., Madhu Veechika, K., & Bandyopadhyay, T. (2026) · International journal of organizational analysis · doi:10.1108/ijoa-10-2025-6051 · Cited by 1
Brooks, T., Gunning, J. G., & Spillane, J. P. (2026) · Smart and Sustainable Built Environment · doi:10.1108/sasbe-07-2025-0389 · Cited by 1
Behavioral Ethics and the Meaning of “Good People” for Legal Enforcement
Feldman, Y. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316480328.003 · Cited by 1
Senci, C. M., & Hasrun, H. M. (2020) · Revista Colombiana de Filosofía de la Ciencia · doi:10.18270/rcfc.v19i39.2819 · Cited by 4
Motivated Interpretations of Deceptive Information
Vainapel, S., Shani, Y., & Shalvi, S. (2021) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci11030297 · Cited by 1
Self-citationGoal completion moderates the association between immoral behavior and self-perceived authenticity
Li, W., Zhang, H., Liu, Z., & Ge, X. (2021) · Self and Identity · doi:10.1080/15298868.2021.1942973 · Cited by 1
Deceitful when insecure: The effect of self‐efficacy beliefs on the use of deception in negotiations
Sobral, F. J. B. D. A., Tavares, G. M., Furtado, L., Lagowska, U. G., & Moura-Neto, J. A. (2022) · Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility · doi:10.1111/beer.12493 · Cited by 1
A social cognitive perspective of educators’ moral agency
Morris, D. B., & Chen, J. (2023) · Theory Into Practice · doi:10.1080/00405841.2023.2226556 · Cited by 1
Sebalo, I., Steene, L. M. B., Gaylor, L., & Ireland, J. L. (2023) · Journal of Criminal Psychology · doi:10.1108/jcp-11-2022-0031 · Cited by 1
Unpacking the Impact of Gratitude on Unethical Behavior
Oh, J.-H., Kim, Y. K., Park, G., & Lee, S. (2023) · Deviant Behavior · doi:10.1080/01639625.2023.2278510 · Cited by 1
Kuntze, M. A., & Mertins, V. (2023) · Studies in Public Choice · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-44393-0_10 · Cited by 1
Assuring Academic Integrity of Online Testing in Fundamentals of Accounting Courses
Mulig, E. V., & Metts, S. (2024) · Online Learning · doi:10.24059/olj.v28i1.3706 · Cited by 1
How does dishonesty diffuse? An experiment comparing spread and concentrated incentives
Braut, B., & Piovesan, M. (2025) · Economia Politica · doi:10.1007/s40888-025-00361-6 · Cited by 1
Leisge, K., Heggenberger, A., Kaczmarek, C., Pitsch, W., & Schaefer, S. (2025) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105373 · Cited by 1
Consumer-brand relationships under the effect of consumer dishonest behavior
Işıksal, D. G., & Karaosmanoğlu, E. (2018) · Pressacademia · doi:10.17261/pressacademia.2018.843 · Cited by 1
On Mitigating the Cruelty of Natural Selection Through Humane Genome Editing
Edison, R., & Esvelt, K. M. (2020) · Advances in neuroethics · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-31011-0_7 · Cited by 1
Puteri, N. M. M., Muluk, H., Ariyanto, A. A., & Takwin, B. (2020) · Jurnal Psikologi · doi:10.14710/jp.19.4.373-387 · Cited by 1
Piper, M. (2017) · European journal of analytic philosophy · doi:10.31820/ejap.13.1.2 · Cited by 1
Lamboy-Ruiz, M. A., McKay, B. A., Scheetz, A. M., & Pearson, T. A. (2023) · Journal of Forensic Accounting Research · doi:10.2308/jfar-2022-016 · Cited by 1
The Relationship between Rationalization and Traits of Sympathy with One’s Intention to Commit Fraud
Metts, S. (2021) · International Journal of Business and Social Science · doi:10.30845/ijbss.v12n12p1 · Cited by 1
Can you treat the cheat in sports?
Glick, I. D., & Begel, D. (2015) · The Physician and Sportsmedicine · doi:10.1080/00913847.2015.1066230 · Cited by 1
Symptom over-reporting ≠ malingering
Niesten, I. J. M. (2019) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20191011in · Cited by 1
Can Moral Reminders Curb Corruption? Evidence from an Online Classroom ExperimentPreprint
Claus, C., Köhler, E. A., & Krieger, T. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4077482 · Cited by 1
Dishonesty Does Not Require JustificationsPreprint
Clist, P., & Hong, Y. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4046441 · Cited by 1
Hadarics, M., Szabó, Z. P., & Kende, A. (2020) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/7ycuk · Cited by 1
Hillebrandt, A., & Barclay, L. J. (2021) · doi:10.32920/ryerson.14639523.v1 · Cited by 1
The effects of resource inequality on briberyPreprint
Ścigała, K. A., Nockur, L., Lilleholt, L., & Pfattheicher, S. (2022) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/dtrz6 · Cited by 1
Resource constraints lead to biased attention but decrease unethical behaviorPreprint
Børsting, C. K., Elbaek, C. T., Mitkidis, P., & Hochman, G. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2980995/v1 · Cited by 1
Resource constraints lead to biased attention but decrease unethical behaviorPreprint
Børsting, C. K., Elbaek, C. T., Mitkidis, P., & Hochman, G. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-2980995/v2 · Cited by 1
Unethical amnesia brain: Memory and metacognitive distortion induced by dishonestyPreprint
Xu, X. J., Mobbs, D., & Wu, H. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.03.03.583239 · Cited by 2
I Own, so I do Not Cheat: How Psychological Ownership Reduces Unethical BehaviorPreprint
Wang, W., Li, J., Niu, X., Li, D., & Pierce, J. L. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4745827 · Cited by 1
Measuring the Prevalence of Earnings Manipulations: A Novel ApproachPreprint
Cade, N. L., Gunn, J. L., & Vandenberg, A. J. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4937909 · Cited by 1
A blind man’s bluff: choice blindness in eyewitness testimony
Σαγανά, Ά. (2015) · Research Publications (Maastricht University) · doi:10.26481/dis.20150917as
An Experimental Analysis of the Effect of Specificity on Compliance and PerformancePreprint
Boussalis, C., Feldman, Y., & Smith, H. E. (2014) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2539190
Another rescue mission: Does it make sense?
Patrzyk, P. M. (2018) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x17000796
Goal-setting and unethical behavior: The journey toward the goal matters
Nishioka, M. (2018) · UWSpace (University of Waterloo)
Broadening the role of “self-interest” in folk-economic beliefs
Karabegović, M., Rotella, A., & Barclay, P. (2018) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x18000407
Ethical agency within the responsible tourism experience: a PARTicipative inquiry
Ingram, C. (2018) · Nottingham ePrints (University of Nottingham)
Lie Detection and Social Conformity: A Culture-Sensitive Study
Ciulli, R. (2018)
Agency Costs of Moral Accounting in Hierarchical RelationshipsPreprint
Hörner, C. (2018) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3228425
Even if You Wrong Me, I May Still Like You: Consumer Dishonesty in Case of Feeling Befooled
Işıksal, D. G., & Karaosmanoğlu, E. (2019) · Developments in marketing science: proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-02568-7_218
Effects of Facial Expression of Others on Moral Judgment
Lee, W., & 김신우 (2019) · 인지과학 · doi:10.19066/cogsci.2019.30.2.001
Judging Those We CheatPreprint
Hod, N., Péer, E., & Danziger, S. (2019) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3494176
Rizwan, M. S., Qi, X., Naz, I., & Akram, S. (2019) · Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies · doi:10.26710/jbsee.v5i2.928
The Corruption of “Good People”
Feldman, Y. (2018) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781316480328.010
Fredrick, S. S., Jenkins, L. N., & Dexter, C. M. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-52939-0_5
Returnable Reciprocity: When Optional Gifts Increase CompliancePreprint
Zlatev, J. J., & Rogers, T. (2020) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3552774
Pledging to Behave HonestlyPreprint
Péer, E., & Feldman, Y. (2020) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3721312
Explaining Versus Responding to Ethical Failures in Leadership
Price, T. L. (2021) · Palgrave debates in business and management · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-65025-4_17
Costly voting in weighted committees: The case of moral costs
Maaser, N., & Stratmann, T. (2023) · European Economic Review · doi:10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104652
Validity of an Instrument to Detect Cheating Confirmed by the Elicited Emotional Reactions
Hernández-Chávez, P., Campos, J. G., López, S. S., Atilano‐Barbosa, D., Rosales-Lagarde, A., & Díaz, M. L. B. (2021) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635228 · Cited by 1
Rösler, I. K. (2022) · Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) · doi:10.33540/1055
Bonnefon, J. (2017) · Palgrave Macmillan UK eBooks · doi:10.1057/978-1-137-60049-3_6
Paternalistic LiesPreprint
Lupoli, M. J., Levine, E. E., & Greenberg, A. E. (2017) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.2927763
(2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-814637-8.00027-5
Fragile promise: The role of justification in promise‐breaking
Chen, H., Dong, Y., Jiang, S., Li, Z., Krüeger, F., & Wu, Y. H. (2022) · Asian Journal Of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/ajsp.12542
Does Honesty Respond to Unrelated Luck?Preprint
Kim, D. G., Geraldes, D., & Heinicke, F. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4111992
Kuntze, M. A., & Mertins, V. (2022) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-32324-0_48-1
The American Chill Pill: Tracking Demographic Changes in US Moral Rationalizations (1995-2020)
Pawsey, H., & Cramer, K. (2022) · Journal of Interpersonal Relations, Intergroup Relations and Identity · doi:10.33921/baof8361
"About ethics: Scientometric Research in WoS Core Collection (2011-2021)"
Velter, V., Manea, L., & ROTARU, C. M. S. (2023) · Revista Etică și Deontologie · doi:10.52744/red.2022.02.02
Kuntze, M. A., & Mertins, V. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-658-32320-2_48
UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY REVIEW OF THE HIGHLY CITED PAPERS
Vladu, A. B., & Matica, D. E. (2022) · Annals of Faculty of Economics · doi:10.47535/1991auoes31(2)014
Perpetrators’ folk explanations of their regretted and justified aggressive behaviors
McCarthy, R. J., & Wilson, J. P. (2023) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2023.2186830
Janke, S., Fritz, T. M., Cruz, H. G., Rudert, S. C., & Daumiller, M. H. (2023) · Diagnostica · doi:10.1026/0012-1924/a000317
Social Norms and Agent Types: Bridging the Gap Between the Theoretical Models and Their Applications
Zachník, V. (2023) · Philosophy of the Social Sciences · doi:10.1177/00483931231181168 · Cited by 1
Campos, V. F. (2023) · Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo) · doi:10.11606/t.59.2023.tde-05072023-092818
Perspective Chapter: Rationality, Social Norms, and Dishonesty in Everyday Life
Reiersen, J. (2023) · IntechOpen eBooks · doi:10.5772/intechopen.1001448
Experiential Learning in an Online, Asynchronous Business Ethics Course
Simola, S. K. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17841-2_7
How People Judge Organizations They CheatPreprint
Hod, N., Péer, E., & Danziger, S. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4579664
Is Deceitful Autobiographical Memory Really Forgotten?
Sengupta, R., Rao, P. V. R., Prusty, A., Jackson, B. M., & Shekar, P. V. R. (2023) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/00332941231213021
Flade, F., Messer, M., & Imhoff, R. (2024) · International Review of Social Psychology · doi:10.5334/irsp.775
Online Learning 28 (1) - Full Issue
Shea, P. (2024) · Online Learning · doi:10.24059/olj.v28i1.4431
Considerations arising from a case of cannibalism: A forensic autopsy report
Tani, N., Michiue, T., Matsusue, A., & Ishikawa, T. (2024) · Forensic Science International Reports · doi:10.1016/j.fsir.2024.100403
Jermias, J., & Tan, H. C. (2025) · Behavioral Research in Accounting · doi:10.2308/bria-2024-048
When ‘blind’ selection works—and when it doesn't
Rabinovitch, H. (2025) · Current Opinion in Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.copsyc.2025.102195
Hochman, G. (2026) · Frontiers in Sociology · doi:10.3389/fsoc.2026.1756939
Dishonesty and justifications: Evidence from the second roll of a dice game
Clist, P., & Hong, Y. (2025) · Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics · doi:10.1016/j.socec.2025.102501 · Cited by 1
The effects of winning experience and gain/loss frames on lying decisions: A lab experiment
Liu, F., & Riyanto, Y. E. (2025) · Applied Psychology · doi:10.1111/apps.70054
Wnęk, S., & Cantarero, K. (2026) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224545.2025.2607672
Zhang, S. (2026) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2026.113653
Collusion Between Retailers and Customers: The Case of Insurance Fraud in Taiwan
Picard, P. M., Wang, J., & Wang, K. C. (2026) · Risks · doi:10.3390/risks14030060
The Unintended Effects of Ethical Decision Aids in OrganizationsPreprint
Baader, M., Egorov, M., Renerte, B., Tanner, C., Wagner, A. F., & Witt, N. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6468391
Essays on the Behavioral Economics of Motivated Memory
Saucet, C. (2019) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/829205c1zbbcez4177za620z1d0df6a2b6a1
Metadata
- Authors
- Shalvi, S., Gino, F., Barkan, R., & Ayal, S.
- Affiliations
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (IL)
- Harvard Business School, Harvard University
- Reichman University (IL)
- Venue
- Current Directions in Psychological Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-04
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 125-130
- ISSN
- 0963-7214 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-8721
- OpenAlex
- W2097587915
- Cited by
- 422
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 31 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 50 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 50 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 40 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 15
- FWCI
- 70.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Current Directions in Psychological Science (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- European Commission (2007–2013, FP7 2007-2013, FP7/2007, 333745)
- Research Executive Agency (FP7/2007-2013)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Keywords
- moral self, moral dissonance, moral licensing, moral compensation, moral self-presentation, ethical violations
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review