The Social Psychology of Morality

Description

Ever since Plato’s ‘Republic’ was written over two thousand years ago, one of the main concerns of social philosophy and later empirical social science was to understand the moral nature of human beings. The faculty to think and act in terms of overarching moral values is as much a defining hallmark of our species as is our intelligence, so homo moralis is no less an appropriate term to describe humans as homo sapiens. This volume makes a case for the pivotal role of social psychology as the core discipline for studying morality. The book is divided into four parts. First, the role of social psychological processes in moral values and judgments is discussed, followed by an analysis of the role of morality in interpersonal processes. The sometimes paradoxical, ironic effects of moral beliefs are described next, and in the final section the role of morality in collective and group behavior is considered. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences concerned with moral behavior, as well as professionals and practitioners in clinical, counseling, organizational, marketing and educational psychology where issues of ethics and morality are of importance. - List of Contributors 1. "In Search of Homo moralis: The Social Psychology of Morality", Joseph P. Forgas, Lee Jussim, and Paul A.M. Van Lange Part I: The Nature of Moral Values and Decisions 2. "God Save Us: A Terror Management Perspective on Morality", Tom Pyszczynski 3. "Moral Opportunities Versus Moral Tests", Dale T. Miller and Benoît Monin 4. "Threat, Morality and Politics: A Differentiated Threat Account of Moral and Political Values", Simon M. Laham and Chelsea Corless 5. "Computational Modeling of Moral Decisions", Molly J. Crockett 6. "Understanding Responses to Moral Dilemmas: Deontological Inclinations, Utilitarian Inclinations, and General Action Tendencies", Bertram Gawronski, Paul Conway, Joel B. Armstrong, Rebecca Friesdorf, and Mandy Hütter Part II: Moral Aspects of Interpersonal Behavior 7. "A Relational Perspective of Social Influence on Moral Issues", Jeffry A. Simpson, Allison K. Farrell, and Emma Marshall 8. "When Perspective-Takers Turn Unethical", Adam D. Galinsky and Alice J. Lee 9. "Confessing to an Immoral Act: Consequences to Moral Beliefs and Inferences About Moral Dispositions", Joel Cooper 10. "Affective Influences on Moral Decisions: Mood Effects on Selfishness Versus Fairness", Joseph P. Forgas Part III: Ironic and Paradoxical Effects of Morality 11. "Can High Moral Purposes Undermine Scientific Integrity?", Lee Jussim, Jarret T. Crawford, Sean T. Stevens, Stephanie M. Anglin, and Jose L. Duarte 12. "Concept Creep: Psychology’s Expanding Notions of Harm and Their Moral Basis", Nick Haslam 13. "Ethical Norms and Moral Values Among Scientists: Applying Conceptions of Morality to Scientific Rules and Practices", Klaus Fiedler Part IV: Morality and Collective Behavior 14. "Moralization and Intolerance of Ideological Outgroups", Mark J. Brandt, Geoffrey Wetherell, and Jarret T. Crawford 15. "Sin, Morality, and Opponent Motives for Prosocial Behavior", William G. Graziano and David A. Schroeder 16. "The Moral Psychology of Resource Use", Brock Bastian and Daniel Crimston 17. "Of Baboons and Elephants: Inequality and the Evolution of Immoral Leadership", William von Hippel, Richard Ronay, and William W. Maddux 18. "Groups Create Moral Superheroes to Defend Sacred Values", Jeremy A. Frimer - Index