ABSTRACT
Nearly all children, and adults, can tell you what behaviors are “good” and “bad.” Unfortunately, too often such knowledge has very little to do with actual behavior, and this certainly is true with lying, cheating, and bullying. Three major social cognitive factors that greatly influence moral behavior are examined: moral reasoning, moral emotions, and mechanisms of moral disengagement. Moral reasoning entails why people choose to act in moral and immoral ways. Drawing from decades of research on moral reasoning and behavior, common types of moral reasoning are examined. Inextricably linked to moral reasoning and moral behavior are the moral emotions of empathy, guilt, and shame. Moral emotions play major roles in the self-regulation of human behavior, often providing the spark that motivates people to act in a manner consistent with their moral reasoning, moral standards, and religious beliefs. As with immature moral reasoning, the lack of empathy, guilt, and shame is a common characteristic of individuals who lie, cheat, and bully, as well as of many narcissists.
Many individuals are quite capable of voicing mature moral reasoning and experiencing empathy, guilt, and shame but nevertheless lie, cheat, and bully. This is because mature moral reasoning and moral emotions matter little unless they are activated or engaged. Eight mechanisms of moral disengagement commonly associated with lying, cheating, bullying, and narcissism are discussed.
