In new research in the PsyCh Journal , people who tended to analyze experiences like mathematical, cost-benefit problems were more likely to ignore moral rules, which was in turn associated with greater willingness to make ethical compromises for money or status, as well as willingness to accept immoral help when it benefited them.
The findings come from 3 studies (2 questionnaire-based and 1 experimental) involving mostly young, highly educated, and predominantly Chinese adults.
The results suggest that reducing this kind of "calculative thinking" in organizational and interpersonal settings may help prevent ethical compromise. Managers and individuals should be cautious about framing social and moral decisions in terms of efficiency, costs, and benefits.
"A calculative mindset can be useful when people need to weigh costs and benefits, but our findings suggest that applying this way of thinking too broadly may also make it easier to psychologically disengage from moral concerns. This highlights the importance of preserving moral and relational considerations when decisions involve potential personal gains," said corresponding author Mingzheng Wu, PhD, of Zhejiang University," said corresponding author Mingzheng Wu, PhD, of Zhejiang University.
URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pchj.70120
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