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Power increases hypocrisy: moralizing in reasoning, immorality in behavior.

Joris Lammers1, Diederik A Stapel, Adam D Galinsky

  • 1Tilburg Institute for Behavioral Economics Research (TIBER), Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University, Warandelaan 2, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands. j.lammers@uvt.nl

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|May 21, 2010
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Powerful individuals often exhibit moral hypocrisy, judging others more harshly than themselves. However, this effect reverses when power is illegitimate, leading to hypercrisy, which can sustain social inequality.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Psychology
  • Moral Psychology
  • Behavioral Ethics

Background:

  • Moral hypocrisy, where individuals hold others to higher standards than themselves, is a common human tendency.
  • The role of power in influencing moral judgment and behavior remains an area of significant interest.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether increased power leads to heightened moral hypocrisy.
  • To examine how the legitimacy of power influences moral hypocrisy and related behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Five experimental studies were conducted to explore the relationship between power and moral hypocrisy.
  • Participants' judgments of their own and others' moral transgressions were assessed under varying conditions of power and legitimacy.

Main Results:

  • The powerful exhibited greater moral hypocrisy, condemning others' transgressions more severely while engaging in more transgressions themselves.
  • When power was illegitimate, a reversed effect termed 'hypercrisy' emerged, with individuals judging their own behavior more strictly.
  • Hypercrisy was also observed in low-power participants in certain experimental conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Power can amplify moral hypocrisy, contributing to social inequality.
  • The legitimacy of power is a critical factor moderating the effects on moral judgment and behavior.
  • Understanding hypocrisy and hypercrisy is crucial for addressing social disparities.