Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

5-2022

Abstract

We test the theoretical and practical utility of the vigilante identity, a self-perception of being the kind of person who monitors their environment for signs of norm violations, and who punishes the perceived norm violator, without formal authority. We develop and validate a measure of the vigilante identity scale (VIS) and demonstrate the scale’s incremental predictive validity above and beyond seemingly related constructs (Studies 1 – 2e). We show that the VIS predicts hypervigilance towards organizational wrongdoing (Studies 2 and 4), punishment intentions and behavior in and of organizations (Studies 3 and 4) as well as in the wider community (Study 1), and is activated under organizational justice failure conditions (Study 3). We maintain that vigilantes can impact organizations and society from both inside and outside organizational walls and we discuss theoretical implications for scholarship on vigilantes, as well as on morality, social norms, and third-party punishment in organizations.

Keywords

Identity, Justice, Punishment, Social order, Vigilantism

Discipline

Applied Behavior Analysis | Civic and Community Engagement | Organizational Behavior and Theory

Research Areas

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources

Publication

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes

Volume

170

First Page

1

Last Page

17

ISSN

0749-5978

Identifier

10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104136

Publisher

Elsevier

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2022.104136

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