Moral decision-making and support for safety procedures amid the COVID-19 pandemic

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110714Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Families are prioritized over the self in terms of virus-mitigation efforts.

  • Participants made hypothetical decisions about national pandemic priorities.

  • Masculine Honor Beliefs and the Dark Triad related to socially-motivated decisions.

  • Beliefs in Pure Evil related to concern about the virus, but less virus-mitigation.

  • Beliefs in Pure Good related to optimistic, prosocial pandemic attitudes.

Abstract

Given that individual differences influence virus-mitigating behaviors and the COVID-19 pandemic posed new moral dilemmas for individuals to resolve, across three studies (N = 704), we assessed how masculine honor beliefs (MHB), beliefs in pure good (BPG), evil (BPE), and the dark triad (DT) influence COVID-19 moral decision-making. Specifically, we analyzed moral decision-making at the microlevel (i.e., individual- and familial-level; Study 1), in decisions with (hypothetical) life-or-death consequences (Study 2), and at the macrolevel (i.e., nationwide virus-mitigation efforts; Study 3). In all studies, participants completed the four individual difference scales and rated their pandemic attitudes on Likert-type agreement scales, and resolved various moral dilemmas in Studies 2 and 3. Consistent with our hypotheses, individuals reported more virus-mitigation efforts in order to protect their families than themselves. In terms of hypothetical life-or-death and nationwide decisions, MHB, BPE, and the DT predicted more confidence and social motivations, whereas BPG predicted more distress. This research has implications for moral decision-making at varying degrees of severity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

Moral decision-making
COVID-19
Masculine honor beliefs
Beliefs in pure good and evil
Dark triad

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We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

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