Self-Construal and Unethical Behavior

    Authors

    I. Cojuharenco; G. Shteynberg; M. Gelfand;M. Schminke

    Comments

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    Abbreviated Journal Title

    J. Bus. Ethics

    Keywords

    Unethical behavior; Self-construal; Relational self; ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING; INDIVIDUALISM-COLLECTIVISM; ORGANIZATIONAL; JUSTICE; ANTISOCIAL-BEHAVIOR; RELATIONAL SELF; MEDIATION; GENDER; COGNITION; CULTURE; MODELS; Business; Ethics

    Abstract

    We suggest that understanding unethical behavior in organizations involves understanding how people view themselves and their relationships with others, a concept known as self-construal. Across multiple studies, employing both field and laboratory settings, we examine the impact of three dimensions of self-construal (independent, relational, and collective) on unethical behavior. Our results show that higher levels of relational self-construal relate negatively to unethical behavior. We also find that differences in levels of relational self for men and women mediate gender differences in unethical behavior. We discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

    Journal Title

    Journal of Business Ethics

    Volume

    109

    Issue/Number

    4

    Publication Date

    1-1-2012

    Document Type

    Article

    Language

    English

    First Page

    447

    Last Page

    461

    WOS Identifier

    WOS:000308649600004

    ISSN

    0167-4544

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