The Effect Of Awe On Moral And Psychological Licensing

Nowadays,moral licensing is common in our life.It can reduce people's prosocial behavior,and even lead to immoral behavior.It has a negative impact on society in the long run,and how to reduce this phenomenon is worthy of our discussion.However,there is no research on the relationship between awe and moral behavior.And related studies have confirmed that awe as a complex positive emotion can have an impact on people's moral behavior.But there is no research to explore the relationship between awe and moral licensing.In order to explore the effect of awe on moral psychology,the present study constructs a moderating mediation model based on the theory of moral self-regulation,and focuses on the mediating role of public consciousness and the moderating role of moral relativism in generating this effect.Study 1 used the correlational method,which explored the relationship among awe,public awareness,moral relativism and moral licensing through questionnaire survey.A total of 589 valid samples were obtained through online questionnaires,and the results demonstrated that awe has a negative effect on moral licensing;public awareness plays a part mediating effect between awe and moral licensing;moral relativism plays a moderating role in the mediating effect of public awareness,and moderates the path of the mediating process.Study 2 used the experimental method,and the causal relationship between the variables is examined with university students as research participants.In the experiment,210 participants were selected,the formal experiment that used a between-subject design of 3(emotional activation: awe/joy/control)× 2(moral stand:moral relativism/ moral absolutism).Among them,the awe and moral relativism level were controlled,and a different method was used to measure the public awareness of the participants.The results demonstrated that awe has a negative effect on moral licensing;public awareness plays a part mediating effect between awe and moral licensing;moral relativism moderated the negative relationship between the awe and moral licensing.Study 3 used the experimental method,and the causal relationship between the variables is further examined with adults as research participants.In the experiment,217 adults were selected,the formal experiment that used a between-subject design of3(emotional activation: awe/joy/control)× 2(moral stand: moral relativism/ moral absolutism).Among them,we used a different method to control awe level and assess moral licensing.The results demonstrated that awe has a negative effect on moral licensing;public awareness plays a part mediating effect between awe and moral licensing;moral relativism moderated the negative relationship between the awe and moral licensing.To sum up,the conclusions of this study are as follows:(1)Awe has a negative effect on moral licensing.(2)Public awareness plays a part mediating effect between awe and moral licensing.(3)Moral relativism plays a moderating role in the mediating effect of future public awareness,and moderates the mediating process.