ABSTRACT
Moral judgements about the behavior of self and others represent powerful concerns. They are a key source of our individual and group identities that guide behavior across different situations. This chapter summarizes some important lessons that can be learned from the scholarship that is available on moral behavior, focusing on findings that reveal the limits of common approaches and practices relating to moral behavior. Considering this evidence may help find effective ways to take into account insights from psychology at a very practical level in attempts to change people's moral behavior. Some policy makers have acknowledged the added value of using insights from basic psychological research in this way. Some findings are depressing, as they remind people how hard it is to do the right thing, or how long it takes to change existing practices. This can happen when studies expose human weaknesses including our own, or when they document perverse effects of practices many of US employ.
