Report

Empirical research on ethics: The influence of social roles on decisions and on their ethical justification.

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Witte, Erich H.
Heitkamp, Imke

Abstract / Description

Two questionnaire studies try to answer the question if different social roles lead to different decisions and justifications concerning ethical problems. In study I participants were asked to decide either on an economic or a medical problem while going into a related social role, in study II role expectations were asked for. The decision had to be justified by weighing the importance of four classical ethical positions: hedonism, intuitionism, utilitarianism, and deontology. The results show that decisions and their justifications are dependent on social roles and partly on the context. The effect which is interpreted as stemming from social standardization is greater for role behavior. The differences between role behavior and expectation indicate a misunderstanding crucial for group decisions.

Keyword(s)

Ethik Entscheidungsfindung Soziale Rolle Rollenerwartung Rolleneinnahme Kontexteffekt Einfluss Ethik Entscheidungsfindung Rollen Soziale Normen Kontexteffekte Rollenerwartungen Hedonismus Soziale Einflüsse Rollenübernahme social role social standardization ethics justification

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2005

Is part of series

Hamburger Forschungsberichte zur Sozialpsychologie;61

Citation

  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Witte, Erich H.
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Heitkamp, Imke
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2022-11-17T11:07:35Z
  • Made available on
    2009-01-15
  • Made available on
    2015-12-01T10:30:41Z
  • Made available on
    2022-11-17T11:07:35Z
  • Date of first publication
    2005
  • Abstract / Description
    Two questionnaire studies try to answer the question if different social roles lead to different decisions and justifications concerning ethical problems. In study I participants were asked to decide either on an economic or a medical problem while going into a related social role, in study II role expectations were asked for. The decision had to be justified by weighing the importance of four classical ethical positions: hedonism, intuitionism, utilitarianism, and deontology. The results show that decisions and their justifications are dependent on social roles and partly on the context. The effect which is interpreted as stemming from social standardization is greater for role behavior. The differences between role behavior and expectation indicate a misunderstanding crucial for group decisions.
    en
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bsz:291-psydok-23259
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11780/557
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.9146
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Is part of series
    Hamburger Forschungsberichte zur Sozialpsychologie;61
  • Keyword(s)
    Ethik
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Entscheidungsfindung
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Soziale Rolle
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Rollenerwartung
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Rolleneinnahme
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Kontexteffekt
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Einfluss
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Ethik
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Entscheidungsfindung
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Rollen
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Soziale Normen
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Kontexteffekte
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Rollenerwartungen
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Hedonismus
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Soziale Einflüsse
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    Rollenübernahme
    de
  • Keyword(s)
    social role
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    social standardization
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    ethics
    en
  • Keyword(s)
    justification
    en
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Empirical research on ethics: The influence of social roles on decisions and on their ethical justification.
    de
  • DRO type
    report
  • Visible tag(s)
    PsyDok