A Meta-Analytic Review of Moral Licensing

Bibliographic Data

ID23377100
AuthorsIrene Blanken (Tilburg University, the Netherlands, corresponding author), Niels Van De Ven (0000-0002-6730-9200, Tilburg University, the Netherlands), Marcel Zeelenberg (0000-0002-7100-4223, Tilburg University, the Netherlands)
Year2015
Volume41
Issue4
Pages540-558
Publication date2015-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0146-1672 • E-ISSN: 1552-7433
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0146167215572134
PMID25716992
OpenAlexW2170109954
LanguageEN
Citations received126
References cited73

Moral licensing refers to the effect that when people initially behave in a moral way, they are later more likely to display behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic. We provide a state-of-the-art overview of moral licensing by conducting a meta-analysis of 91 studies (7,397 participants) that compare a licensing condition with a control condition. Based on this analysis, the magnitude of the moral licensing effect is estimated to be a Cohen’s d of 0.31. We tested potential moderators and found that published studies tend to have larger moral licensing effects than unpublished studies. We found no empirical evidence for other moderators that were theorized to be of importance. The effect size estimate implies that studies require many more participants to draw solid conclusions about moral licensing and its possible moderators.

Control (management) · Economics · Meta-analysis · Moral disengagement · Emotions and Moral Behavior · Ethics in Business and Education · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social Psychology

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