Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
publishedVersion
Publication Date
11-1997
Abstract
In this article, the authors propose that individuals' moral beliefs are linked to their implicit theories about the nature (i.e., malleability) of their social-moral reality. Specifically, it was hypothesized that when individuals believe in a fixed reality (entity theory), they tend to hold moral beliefs in which duties within the given system are seen as fundamental. In contrast, when individuals believe in a malleable reality (incremental theory), one that can be shaped by individuals, they hold moral beliefs that focus on moral principles, such as human rights, around which that reality should be organized. Results from 5 studies supported the proposed framework: Implicit theories about the malleability of one's social-moral reality predicted duty-based vs. rights-based moral beliefs.
Keywords
fixed vs individually malleable reality beliefs & social morality, adults (mean age 19.86 yrs)
Discipline
Personality and Social Contexts | Social Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Volume
73
Issue
5
First Page
923
Last Page
940
ISSN
0022-3514
Identifier
10.1037/0022-3514.73.5.923
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Citation
CHIU, Chi-Yue, DWECK, Carol S., TONG, Jennifer Yuk-Yue, & FU, Ho-Ying.(1997). Implicit theories and conceptions of morality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(5), 923-940.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/285
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.73.5.923