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"Internally Wicked": Investigating How and Why Essentialism Influences Punitiveness and Moral Condemnation
Justin W Martin1, Larisa Heiphetz2
1Department of Psychology, Boston College.
Cognitive Science
|June 25, 2021
Summary
Essentialism, the belief in unchanging essences, influences moral judgments by affecting perceptions of control. This study reveals how beliefs about "internal wickedness" impact punishment, resolving past discrepancies in research.
Area of Science:
- Moral Psychology
- Social Cognition
- Philosophy of Law
Background:
- Immanuel Kant proposed punishment proportional to "internal wickedness."
- Essentialism, the belief in fixed internal essences, influences moral judgment.
- Previous research on essentialism's effect on moral condemnation yielded conflicting results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms through which essentialism influences moral judgment.
- To resolve discrepancies in prior research regarding essentialism and moral condemnation.
- To examine the roles of perceived control, essentialism target, and component.
Main Methods:
- Participants evaluated individuals described with a "criminal essence" versus control conditions.
- Experimental design manipulated the target (behavior vs. character) and component (biology vs. immutability) of essentialism.
- Statistical mediation analyses were used to probe underlying mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Participants delivered harsher punishments to individuals described as having a criminal essence.
- Perceptions of actor's control significantly mediated the effect of essentialism on moral judgment.
- Essentialism's focus (behavior vs. character) and component (biology vs. immutability) showed weaker influences.
Conclusions:
- Essentialism causally links perceptions of "internal wickedness" to moral condemnation.
- Perceptions of control are a key mechanism explaining essentialism's influence on moral judgment.
- This study resolves past discrepancies by highlighting the mediating role of perceived control.
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