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Showing posts with the label moral choices

Does Closeness with Others Influence Business Ethical Choices?

Decisions are a common occurrence in everyday life. Why some make ethical and others make unethical decisions is of interest. Wood, et. al. (2013) studied the decision-making process of managers and found that psychological distance and options influenced their ultimate choice. When proper choices are available, and reflections on courses of action are possible, better decisions result. There are pillars that help formulate how psychological distance is created in people’s minds. These pillars are mental constructs and decision filters managers use judge course of action. They are as follows: 1.) Temporal Distance : Now versus later. Future events are more abstract while current events are more concrete. 2.) Spatial Distance : Researchers have shown that faraway locations are abstract while closer locations are more concrete. 3.) Social Distance: Us versus them mentality that lowers the perception of impact on other groups while raising the perception of harm to one

Political Moral Persuasion and Social Selection

As a human species we develop our political views with those around us who help shape our experiences, motives and attitudes through approval, information, and advice (Levitan   & Visser, 2009). Openness to persuasion depends on those who are immediately around us. The majority of people use others to evaluate and define their own beliefs and opinions. When issues of morality come to the forefront of conscious people become more convinced of the rightness of their assumptions. Such people are less tolerant of those who disagree with them (Skitka et al, 2005) and become further beyond the influence of others outside their social networks. They double down on their convictions and begin to avoid those who disagree. This avoidance further puts them on a particular stream of consciousness that seeks out confirming information while ignoring dis confirming information. The more alienated a person becomes from those who disagree the more they lack critical thinking skills