Unable to resist temptation: How self-control depletion promotes unethical behavior

• Published in: Organizational behavior and human decision processes Vol. 115; no. 2; pp. 191 - 203
• Main Authors: Gino, Francesca, Schweitzer, Maurice E., Mead, Nicole L., Ariely, Dan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Inc 01.07.2011; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Publishing Company, Inc
• Series: Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes
• Subjects: Behavioural psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cheating; Cognition. Intelligence; Decision making; Decision making. Choice; Depletion; Dishonesty; Ego depletion; Ethical decision making; Ethics; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Honesty; Impulsive cheating; Impulsive cheating Unethical behavior Ego depletion Dishonesty Self-control Self-regulatory resources Moral identity Ethical decision making; Moral aspects; Moral identity; Morality; Morals; Organizational behavior; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Self control; Self-management; Self-regulatory resources; Selfcontrol; Selfregulation; Studies; Unethical behavior; Impulsive cheating; Self-control; Dishonesty; Self-regulatory resources; Ego depletion; Moral identity; Unethical behavior; Ethical decision making; Human; Impulsivity; Decision making; Ego; Ethics; Cheating; Self control; Self regulation
• ISSN: 0749-5978; 1095-9920
• DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2011.03.001

Across four experimental studies, individuals who were depleted of their self-regulatory resources by an initial act of self-control were more likely to “impulsively cheat” than individuals whose self-regulatory resources were intact. Our results demonstrate that individuals depleted of self-control resources were more likely to behave dishonestly (Study 1). Depletion reduced people’s moral awareness when they faced the opportunity to cheat, which, in turn, was responsible for heightened cheating (Study 2). Individuals high in moral identity, however, did not show elevated levels of cheating when they were depleted (Study 3), supporting our hypothesis that self-control depletion increases cheating when it robs people of the executive resources necessary to identify an act as immoral or unethical. Our results also show that resisting unethical behavior both requires and depletes self-control resources (Study 4). Taken together, our findings help to explain how otherwise ethical individuals predictably engage in unethical behavior.