Effects of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism on corrupt intention: The role of moral outrage.

Previous research suggested that dominance orientation and authoritarianism may be associated with corruption, but little research has verified this assumption or uncovered its psychological processes. In this article, we examined empirically the relationships between social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and corrupt intention and explored the mediating role of moral outrage on these relationships. A total of 677 college students participated in the study and completed measures of SDO, RWA, moral outrage and corrupt intention. Our findings demonstrated that both SDO and RWA were positively associated with corrupt intention. Additionally, moral outrage partially mediated the relation between SDO and corrupt intention and fully mediated the relation between RWA and corrupt intention. Specifically, the results indicated that higher SDO or RWA was associated with reduced moral outrage and increased corrupt intention. This implies that the enhancement of morality and moral outrage may inhibit corrupt intention.

How social face consciousness influences corrupt intention: Examining the effects of Honesty-Humility and moral disengagement.

This study aims to explore the relationship between social face consciousness and corrupt intention. Based on social cognitive theory, we established a mediated moderation model in which Honesty-Humility moderated the link between social face consciousness and corrupt intention, and moral disengagement mediated this moderating effect. Data were collected from an online survey of Chinese adults (N = 1,061) using self-administered questionnaires. Results revealed that Honesty-Humility cushioned the effect of social face consciousness on corrupt intention, such that this effect was stronger for individuals with low Honesty-Humility than for those with high Honesty-Humility. Findings also supported that the moderating effect of Honesty-Humility was partially mediated by moral disengagement. These results not only corroborate the critical role of social face consciousness in influencing corrupt intention but also shed some light on when and how social face consciousness results in corrupt intention. Implications and limitations were also discussed.

The Effect of Self-Esteem on Corrupt Intention: The Mediating Role of Materialism.

The present set of studies aimed to explore the effect of self-esteem on corrupt intention and the mediating role of materialism in generating this effect. In Study 1, we used questionnaires to investigate the correlation among self-esteem, materialism, and corrupt intention. In Study 2, we manipulated self-esteem to explore the causal effect of self-esteem on materialism and corrupt intention. In Study 3, we manipulated materialism to examine whether inducing materialism can reduce the relationship between self-esteem and corrupt intention. The three studies converged to show that increased self-esteem caused a low level of materialism, which in turn decreased corrupt intention. The theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

The Effects of General System Justification on Corruption Perception and Intent.

Previous research stresses that system justifying belief can weaken corruption perception, by this possibly fostering unjust behaviors. However, general results of the effect of general system justification on corruption are ambiguous, indicating also a lessening impact. We conducted a line of studies trying to elucidate these circumstances by testing the effect of general system justification on corruption perception and intention. In addition, we explored institutional trust as a possible mediator in this process. For this purpose, we conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the association between general system justification and corruption. In Study 1, a correlational design was run using questionnaires to assess the relation between general system justification and corruption perception as well as corruption intention. In Study 2, an experimental design was conducted manipulating general system justification via exposure to high or low system threat condition, then measuring its effect on corruption perception and corrupt intention. In Study 3, two sub-studies using correlational and experimental designs were run to explore the mediating role of institutional trust, respectively. Results replicated former studies showing that general system justification is negatively associated with corruption perception. However, they also showed a negative correlation with corrupt intention. Furthermore, they showed that institutional trust mediated the relation between general system justification and corruption. We suggest to consider these findings to further elucidate the psychological basis underlying different effects of general system justification on human behaviors.