Egocentric biases in moral judgments of character and behavior

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dc.abstract.enEgocentrism plays a central role in moral cognition, as individuals interpret the social world from a default, self-centered perspective. This often leads people to view their moral evaluations as objective and justified, even when those judgments are influenced by self-interest or interpersonal preferences. In this chapter, I review research that identifies two key egocentric tendencies in moral judgment, which are evident in both children and adults. First, when interests are involved, individuals are more likely to evaluate unethical or unjust actions as morally acceptable. Second, people tend to perceive those they like as more moral than those they dislike, indicating that liking can bias moral evaluation. These patterns persist even when individuals attempt to reason impartially. Rather than being irrational errors, such tendencies may serve adaptive social functions by helping individuals maintain relationships, form alliances, and make strategic moral decisions. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for explaining everyday moral reasoning and behavior.
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorBocian, Konrad
dc.contributor.editorLandy, Justin F.
dc.date.access2027-07-16
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-30T10:34:33Z
dc.date.available2026-07-30T10:34:33Z
dc.date.created2025-12-20
dc.date.issued2026-07-16
dc.description.accesstimeafter_publication
dc.description.fininstitutionNational Science Centre (Poland) grant 2021/43/D/HS6/02013 (SONATA)
dc.description.grantnumber2021/43/D/HS6/02013 (SONATA)
dc.description.granttitleEgocentric judgements of moral character: Mechanisms, individual differences and debiasing strategies
dc.description.physical140–158
dc.description.sdgPeaceJusticeAndStrongInstitutions
dc.description.seriesResearch Handbooks on Social Psychology
dc.description.versionfinal_author
dc.identifier.doi10.4337/9781035332540.00018
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-0353-3254-0
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-0353-3253-3
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-0494-0292-5
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/2475
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781035332540/chapter9.xml
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.pubinfoNorthampton, USA
dc.publisher.ministerialEdward Elgar Publishing
dc.relation.bookResearch Handbook on Social Judgment
dc.relation.languageen
dc.relation.pages358
dc.rightsCC-BY-NC-ND
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.monoOPEN_REPOSITORY
dc.subject.enegocentrism
dc.subject.enmoral cognition
dc.subject.enself-interest bias
dc.subject.enliking bias
dc.subject.enmoral decision-making
dc.swps.sciencecloudsend
dc.titleEgocentric biases in moral judgments of character and behavior
dc.title.journalResearch Handbook on Social Judgment
dc.typeMonographyChapter
dspace.entity.typeBook