Straying From the Righteous Path and From Ourselves: The Interplay Between Perceptions of Morality and Self-Knowledge

Area of Science:

• Moral Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Self-Perception Research

Background:

• Little research exists on the connection between moral behavior and self-knowledge.
• Moral psychology often focuses on judgment and action, not the subjective experience of self-understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between morally valenced behavior and perceptions of self-knowledge.
• To determine if recalling immoral behaviors decreases subjective self-knowledge.
• To explore the role of perceived self-knowledge in moral self-concept maintenance.

Main Methods:

• Four studies were conducted with a total of 1,177 participants.
• Study 1 employed daily-diary methods to track daily moral behavior and self-knowledge.
• Studies 2-4 utilized experimental designs to manipulate thoughts of immoral behavior.

Main Results:

• Daily perceptions of self-knowledge correlated with daily morally valenced behavior.
• Experimental exposure to immoral behaviors significantly reduced current perceptions of self-knowledge.
• These effects remained consistent even after controlling for self-esteem levels.

Conclusions:

• Morally valenced behavior is linked to subjective perceptions of self-knowledge.
• Recollection of immoral actions can attenuate self-knowledge, suggesting a mechanism for self-concept regulation.
• Perceived self-knowledge may serve a functional role in maintaining moral self-concept and regulating moral behavior.