Short description:

This volume makes a case for the pivotal role of social psychology as the core discipline for studying morality through the cutting-edge work of the world's leading researchers in the field. It examines the social psychological processes in moral values and judgments, and analyzes the role of morality in interpersonal processes and group behavior. It provides a rich resource for students and researchers in the social and behavioral sciences concerned with moral behavior, and professionals and practitioners in clinical, counselling, organizational, marketing, and educational psychology where issues of ethics and morality are of importance.

Long 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.

After languishing for decades, the study of morality has recently prospered by means of an explosion of creative new research directions and insights. This timely and fascinating book offers a marvelous overview of many diverse contributions and perspectives, written by many of the cutting-edge researchers who helped create the explosive leap forward. Delving into the root causes of both remarkable virtue and despicable misbehavior, as well as the processes by which people form and express moral judgments, this book is a tour de force that will reward anyone interested in this key aspect of human social life, from the novice seeking an introduction to the expert wanting to know the latest findings.

Roy F. Baumeister, author of Willpower: Rediscovering the greatest human strength and Evil: Inside human violence and cruelty

There is nothing more central to what it means to be human than our moral (and immoral) behavior. Thus, understanding when and why humans do and do not behave morally is a key mission of the social sciences in general and social psychology in particular. This volume is a testament to how much progress we have made in our understanding of this critical issue. The contributing authors are the leaders in this field and together they have created a book that is a must-read for all psychologists and social scientists who want to catch up on the current science on this issue.

E. Tory Higgins, Stanley Schachter Professor of Psychology and Professor of Business, Director, Motivation Science Center, Columbia University

Table of Contents:

Contents

Chapter 1. In Search of homo moralis: The Social Psychology of Morality. Joseph P. Forgas, University of New South Wales, Lee Jussim, Rutgers University, and Paul A. M. Van Lange, VU University of Amsterdam.

Chapter 2. God Save Us: A Terror Management Perspective on Morality. Tom Pyszczynski, University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Chapter 3. Moral Opportunities versus Moral Tests. Dale T. Miller and Benoît Monin, Stanford University.

Chapter 4. Threat, Morality and Politics: A Differentiated Threat Account of Moral and Political Values. Simon M. Laham and Chelsea Corless, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne.

Chapter 5. Computational Modeling of Moral Decisions. Molly J. Crockett, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford

Chapter 6. Understanding Responses to Moral Dilemmas: Deontological Inclinations, Utilitarian Inclinations, and General Action Tendencies. Bertram Gawronski, University of Texas at Austin, Paul Conway, University of Cologne, Germany, Joel B. Armstrong, University of Western Ontario, Canada, Rebecca Friesdorf, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and Mandy Hütter, University of Tübingen, Germany.

Chapter 7. A Relational Perspective of Social Influence on Moral Issues. Jeffry A. Simpson, University of Minnesota, Allison K. Farrell, University of Minnesota and Emma Marshall, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Chapter 8. When Perspective-Takers Turn Unethical. Adam D. Galinsky and Alice Lee, Columbia University.

Chapter 9. Confessing to an Immoral Act: Consequences to Moral Beliefs and Inferences about Moral Dispositions. Joel Cooper, Princeton University.

Chapter 10. Affective Influences on Moral Decisions: Mood Effects on Selfishness vs. Fairness. Joseph P. Forgas, University of New South Wales, Australia.

Chapter 11. Can High Moral Purposes Undermine Scientific Integrity? Lee Jussim, Rutgers University, New Brunswick and The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford, Jarret T. Crawford, The College of New Jersey, Sean T. Stevens, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, Stephanie M. Anglin, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and Jose L. Duarte, Arizona State University.

Chapter 12. Concept creep: Psychology?s Expanding Notions of Harm and their Moral Basis. Nick Haslam, University of Melbourne.

Chapter 13. Ethical Norms and Moral Values among Scientists: Applying Conceptions of Morality to Scientific Rules and Practices. Klaus Fiedler, University of Heidelberg.

Chapter 14. Moralization and Intolerance of Ideological Outgroups. Mark J. Brandt, Tilburg University, Geoffrey Wetherell, DePaul University, Jarret T. Crawford, The College of New Jersey.

Chapter 15. Sin, Morality, and Opponent Motives for Prosocial Behavior. William G. Graziano, Purdue University and David A. Schroeder, University of Arkansas.

Chapter 16. The Moral Psychology of Resource Use. Brock Bastian and Daniel Crimston, University of New South Wales

Chapter 17. Of Baboons and Elephants: Inequality and the Evolution of Immoral Leadership. William von Hippel, University of Queensland, Richard Ronay, VU University Amsterdam and William W. Maddux,INSEAD, France.

Chapter 18. Groups Create Moral Superheroes to Defend Sacred Values. Jeremy A. Frimer, university of Winnipeg, Canada.