Self-Concept Maintenance

Self-Concept Maintenance

Reviewed by Faisal Zaidi

People gain a little from dishonesty while keeping a view of themselves as honest.

What it is

Nina Mazar, On Amir and Dan Ariely proposed that people balance two pulls in small moral choices. One is the gain from cheating a little; the other is the wish to keep seeing oneself as honest. They manage both by not paying attention to their own moral standards in the moment and by labelling what they do in flexible ways. Six experiments supported the account.

In effect

In the article on why people lie, it explains why many small lies leave a person's view of their own honesty untouched.

What it does not say

It concerns small dishonest gains. It does not say people have no moral limits, and it does not predict large or planned deception.

Sources

  1. Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people: A theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 633-644.