Individual differences in the self-interest bias in moral and justice judgments: The role of greed, self-interest versus other-interest, and moral identity
Individual differences in the self-interest bias in moral and justice judgments: The role of greed, self-interest versus other-interest, and moral identity
StatusPost-Print
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Authors
Bocian, Konrad
Miazek, Katarzyna
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Date
2026-03-28
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Personality and Individual Differences
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Volume
257
Pages
Pages
1-13
ISSN
0191-8869
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Access date
2028-03-28
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
The self-interest bias, the tendency to evaluate moral situations more leniently when personal benefit is at stake, is a robust phenomenon in moral judgment. However, little is known about which individual characteristics predict variation in susceptibility to this bias. Across three preregistered experimental studies (N = 1473), we examined how dispositional greed, self- versus other-interest motivation, and moral identity (Moral Self and Moral Integrity) moderate the self-interest bias in moral and justice judgments. Participants evaluated an unfair monetary decision that either benefited themselves or another person. Consistent with prior research, participants judged self-beneficial unfair decisions as more moral and just. Importantly, this bias was amplified among individuals high in dispositional greed and self-interest motivation, and attenuated among those high in other-interest motivation. Unexpectedly, Moral Self was associated with a stronger, rather than weaker, self-interest bias. Moreover, high Moral Integrity in combination with high Moral Self predicted increased leniency toward self-serving unfairness, consistent with motivated reasoning models. These findings highlight that moral judgment is not only shaped by objective norms but also by personal goals, identity, and self-relevance, revealing individual characteristics that are reliably associated with greater variation in moral reasoning when fairness conflicts with personal gain.
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Keywords PL
Keywords EN
Self-interest bias
Moral judgment
Greed
Moral identity
Motivated reasoning
Fairness
Individual differences
Moral judgment
Greed
Moral identity
Motivated reasoning
Fairness
Individual differences
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Sustainable Development Goals
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Egocentric Judgements of Moral character: Mechanisms, Individual Differences and Debiasing strategies
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