Moral Permissions And How They Are Used

Who does not like to think of themselves as a good person? We can explain it by saying that it is so important for us to maintain a positive self-image. But what is it then that drives a person to do something immoral ? Well, so-called “self-permissions”, also known as “moral permissions”, can be an explanation.

The logic behind self-permissions is that you can do something immoral because you have behaved well at an earlier time. Here you will get an example of such a self-permission. How many times have you not said to yourself “today I deserve candy” after exercising. As you can see, it is about justifying a bad or shameful act to avoid guilt.

Here we will take a closer look at some studies on the topic of self-permission so that you can gain a deeper understanding of the topic. In addition, you will understand why some people are so affected by the effects that result from excessive use of moral permits.

What researchers say about moral permits

The effect of moral permissions, in which a moral behavior allows a person to later behave immorally, has been the subject of a number of experiments. A number of psychological theories about behavior emphasize people’s desire for cognitive consistency in thoughts, feelings and behavior.

A fascinating study of self-permissions discusses our desire for coherence and continuity. It suggests that people who behave in a morally dignified manner often feel that they have the right to perform morally dubious acts ( Merritt, Effron and Monin, 2010 ).

The studies observed how self-permissions lead to a wide range of unwanted behavior. For example, people showed signs of more harmful attitudes after being reminded of socially positive actions they had taken in the past.

Researchers believe that past good deeds make people feel free to act in an unethical or problematic way. A behavior that they would otherwise avoid for fear of being perceived as immoral.

Another study, conducted in 2016 by Jessica Cascio and E. Ashby Plant, concluded the following under moral permissions:

• Predicting one’s own involvement in moral behavior allows a person to behave immorally.
• People who predict that they will perform morally worthy acts in the future are more racist.
• Moral permits are likely due to the idea of ​​accumulated moral credit. One justifies one’s actions because of past good deeds.

• Prejudice is linked to moral conduct.

Moral purification

An important contribution to what science knows about moral permits is that writing about one’s own positive or negative sides can affect donations to charity. It can also affect the degree of cooperation in a dilemma or conflict (Sachdeva, Iliev and Medin, 2009).

Based on these findings, the previously mentioned authors argue that the effect of moral permits can best be interpreted as a broader network of moral self-regulation. One where the inner balance of our moral self-esteem will determine whether we display our moral or immoral behavior. It can also determine the cost of prosocial behavior.

The authors of the study believe that assuming a moral identity leads to a justification of immoral acts. On the other hand, it seems that we perform moral acts to restore our self-esteem when we experience that our moral identity is threatened.

Once our moral self-image is established, we can perform immoral acts without fear of the consequences for our moral self-image (moral permissions). On the other hand, when we are perceived as immoral by others, we take positive actions to restore our moral self-image (a so-called moral purification).