Upon the moral pedestal: how self-image and self-beliefs fuel social action

Abstract

In this thesis, I examine how moral outrage influences social action intentions through moral self-enhancement (i.e., self-image) and participative efficacy (i.e., self-beliefs). Although moral outrage is often framed as a powerful motivator for social action, it can also serve self-enhancing purposes by eliciting a sense of moral superiority. At the same time, the belief that one’s actions can meaningfully contribute to collective outcomes, known as participative efficacy, is a key predictor of social action engagement. I integrate these constructs into a novel framework that traces the psychological pathway from moral outrage to social action, moving through moral self-enhancement and participative efficacy. In Studies 1a and 1b, participants engaged in downward social comparisons to moral wrongdoers, supporting the role of such comparisons in moral self-enhancement. In Study 2, higher levels of moral self-enhancement were associated with stronger participative efficacy beliefs. In Study 3, greater participative efficacy corresponded with increased social action intentions. Finally, Studies 4a and 4b provided evidence for the full serial mediation: moral outrage increased moral self-enhancement, which bolstered participative efficacy and, in turn, enhanced intentions to engage in a range of social actions. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how antecedents of social action are psychologically connected, with implications for both theory and the design of social change interventions.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Chloe Christine Webb: orcid.org/0009-0008-0164-1287

ORCID for Constantine Sedikides: orcid.org/0000-0003-4036-889X

ORCID for Nicholas Kelley: orcid.org/0000-0003-2256-0597

Catalogue record

Export record