Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings includes abstracts of all papers and symposia presented at the annual conference, plus 6-page abridged versions of the “Best Papers” accepted for inclusion in the program (approximately 10%). Papers published in the Proceedings are abridged because presenting papers at their full length could preclude subsequent journal publication. Please contact the author(s) directly for the full papers.


The Role of One's Own Transgressions on the Punitiveness of Others' Wrongdoing

    We examine how one’s prior transgressions influence punitiveness towards others who have engaged in wrongdoing. Consistent with a motivated moral reasoning lens, results from three studies demonstrate that individuals who committed a transgression are less punitive when evaluating another person who has committed the identical transgression, compared to individuals who did not commit a transgression (blame-avoidance hypothesis). Also, they are less punitive when the person committed the identical transgression than when the transgression was different but comparable (scapegoating hypothesis). In line with moral disengagement theory, this effect was mediated by moral justification. We discuss implications for the field of behavioral ethics including theory and research on punishment, motivated moral reasoning, and moral disengagement.

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