The association between adverse childhood experiences and moral hypocrisy
The chain-mediated role of fear of failure and ego depletion
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15699441 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Junfeng Bian (0000-0001-7580-8993, Changsha University of Science and Technology, corresponding author), Tianjing Huang (Changsha University of Science and Technology), Xin Li (0000-0002-3425-8566, Changsha University of Science and Technology), Yongxu Zhou (Changsha University of Science and Technology), Yu Fang (0000-0002-2810-806X, Changsha University of Science and Technology), Zike Fu (Changsha University of Science and Technology), Youjun Deng (Changsha University of Science and Technology), Chun He (Changsha University of Science and Technology), Zixi Deng (Changsha University of Science and Technology) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-02-12 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2050-7283 • E-ISSN: 2050-7283 |
| Publisher | BioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s40359-026-04138-9 |
| PMID | 41680949 |
| OpenAlex | W7128687860 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 41 |
To examine the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and moral hypocrisy among college students, and to elucidate the underlying psychological mechanisms, this study-guided by Ecological Systems Theory and Ego Depletion Theory-investigated the psychological processes through which ACEs may contribute to moral hypocrisy. A questionnaire survey was administered to 1,082 college students. Results indicated that: (1) ACEs positively predicted moral hypocrisy; (2) fear of failure independently mediated the ACEs-moral hypocrisy relationship; (3) ego depletion independently mediated this relationship; and (4) fear of failure and ego depletion sequentially mediated the association, such that ACEs increased fear of failure, which in turn exacerbated ego depletion and ultimately elevated moral hypocrisy. This study advances the literature by identifying a continuous psychological transmission pathway from early adversity to adult moral behavior: early environmental risk may be translated into moral maladjustment through a developmental cascade involving affective vulnerability (fear of failure) and chronic depletion of self-regulatory resources (ego depletion). Specifically, fear of failure functions as a persistent stressor that continuously consumes self-regulatory capacity. When combined with culturally specific "face" (mianzi) concerns, this process may motivate individuals to adopt a word-deed dissociation strategy-maintaining a desirable moral image while minimizing behavioral costs-thereby manifesting as moral hypocrisy. These findings not only deepen theoretical understanding of moral development mechanisms but also offer empirical support for targeted psychological interventions and moral education programs for college students with histories of childhood adversity. Interventions that promote cognitive reappraisal of failure-related beliefs and facilitate restoration of self-regulatory capacity may be particularly effective in reducing moral hypocrisy among individuals exposed to early adversity
Anxiety · Association (psychology · Cognition · Ego Depletion · Hypocrisy · Moral development · Moral disengagement · Psychological intervention · Social cognitive theory of morality · Stressor · Psychological Treatments and Assessments · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology
Validity of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in an Adolescent Psychiatric Population
A series of meta-analytic tests of the depletion effect
Multidimensional Fear of Failure Measurement
A Multilab Preregistered Replication of the Ego-Depletion Effect
The Influence of Culture, Community, and the Nested‐Self in the Stress Process
Variability in emotion regulation strategy use is negatively associated with depressive symptoms
How does social media use enhance employee's well-being and advocacy behaviour? Findings from PLS-SEM and fsQCA
Depletion, moral identity, and unethical behavior
Power Increases Hypocrisy
Altruism Born of Suffering and Prosocial Behavior Following Adverse Life Events
Developmental Science in the 21 st Century
The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Bullying Victimization, and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among Early Adolescents
Does mindfulness moderate between incivility, aggression and conflict at work? Findings from symmetric and asymmetric modeling approaches
Moral hypocrisy
Moral cleansing as hypocrisy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|