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System circumvention: Dishonest-illegal transgressions are perceived as justified in non-meritocratic societies.
- Source :
-
The British journal of social psychology [Br J Soc Psychol] 2024 Mar 08. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Mar 08. - Publication Year :
- 2024
- Publisher :
- Ahead of Print
-
Abstract
- Does believing that "effort doesn't pay" in society shape how people view dishonest-illegal transgressions? Across five studies, we show that when people view societal success as non-meritocratic-that is, more dependent on luck and circumstances than on hard work-they are more lenient in their moral judgements of dishonest-illegal transgressions. Perceiving society as non-meritocratic predicted greater justifiability of dishonest-illegal transgressions in the United States (Study 2), and across 42 countries (Nā=ā49,574; Study 1). And inducing participants to view society as non-meritocratic increased justifiability of others' dishonest-illegal transgressions, via greater feelings of sympathy (Studies 3 and 4). Next, we investigated the contours of these effects. Perceiving societal success as non-meritocratic rather than based on hard work causes people to view dishonest-illegal transgressions as more justifiable if they are perpetrated by the poor, but not the rich (Study 4), and if the dishonest-illegal transgressions are related to economic striving, such as money laundering and dealing illegal drugs (Study 5). In sum, when people see a social system as unfair, they show greater tolerance for dishonest-illegal transgressions perpetrated to circumvent the system.<br /> (© 2024 The Authors. British Journal of Social Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2044-8309
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- The British journal of social psychology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 38456665
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/bjso.12737