Moral self-enhancement - ePrints Soton

Sedikides, Constantine, Webb, Chloe and Kelley, Nicholas (2024) Moral self-enhancement. In, Laham, Simon (ed.) Handbook of Ethics and Social Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing. (In Press)

Record type: Book Section

Abstract

People self-enhance on dimensions central of their self-concept. Morality is a highly central dimension for most, and so moral self-enhancement is pervasive. It can take various forms. For example, people regard themselves as superior to their peers on moral traits, more so than other central traits, and claim that they are more likely than their peers to enact moral behaviors. Also, people engage in downward social comparison on morality: they express righteous indignation toward moral violations, in part as a way to maintain or enhance ther positive self-views. Lastly, people are greatly concerned about their moral reputation and strategically curate it. Although moral self-enhancement is a general phenomenon, some individuals (e.g., high communal narcissists) are more likely to manifest it than others (i.e., low communal narcissists). Explanations for moral self-enhancement can be both distal (i.e., evolutionary) and proximal. Boundaries and behavioral consequences of moral self-enhancement are promising research directions.

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