title: Once Dishonest, Always Dishonest? The Impact of Perceived Pervasiveness of Moral Evaluations of the Self on Motivation to Restore a Moral Reputation.
abstract: Four studies specify how moral evaluations of the self regulate behavior aimed at restoring a moral reputation. We propose that people care about evaluations of themselves as moral or immoral because these are perceived as more consequential than other types of information. Therefore people are more inclined to restore their image after being negatively evaluated in terms of morality rather than competence. Studies 1 and 2 revealed that moral information was perceived as having a more enduring impact on one's reputation, and was more strongly related to anticipate intra-group respect and self-views, than competence and sociability information. This perceived pervasiveness of moral (vs. competence) evaluations mediated intentions to justify and explain one's behavior (Study 3). Study 4 finally showed that being seen as lacking in morality elicited threat and coping responses, which induced subsequent tendencies to repair one's moral reputation.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Social Psychology, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pagliaro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Social Health and Organizational Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University Utrecht, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ellemers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Exeter Exeter, UK.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barreto
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Social Psychology, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University of Chieti-Pescara Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Cesare
keywords: competence; morality; pervasiveness; reparation; sociability