Individual differences in the self-interest bias in moral and justice judgments: The role of greed, self-interest versus other-interest, and moral identity

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cris.lastimport.scopus2026-04-01T03:10:14Z
dc.abstract.enThe 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.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii w Sopocie
dc.contributor.authorBocian, Konrad
dc.contributor.authorMiazek, Katarzyna
dc.date.access2028-03-28
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-31T10:08:03Z
dc.date.available2026-03-31T10:08:03Z
dc.date.created0226-03-19
dc.date.issued2026-03-28
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2021/43/D/HS6/02013
dc.description.granttitleEgocentric Judgements of Moral character: Mechanisms, Individual Differences and Debiasing strategies
dc.description.physical1-13
dc.description.sdgPeaceJusticeAndStrongInstitutions
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.description.volume257
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.paid.2026.113792
dc.identifier.eissn1873-3549
dc.identifier.issn0191-8869
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2279
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019188692600156X?via%3Dihub
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_REPOSITORY
dc.subject.enSelf-interest bias
dc.subject.enMoral judgment
dc.subject.enGreed
dc.subject.enMoral identity
dc.subject.enMotivated reasoning
dc.subject.enFairness
dc.subject.enIndividual differences
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleIndividual differences in the self-interest bias in moral and justice judgments: The role of greed, self-interest versus other-interest, and moral identity
dc.title.journalPersonality and Individual Differences
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle