Intentions to Steal and the Commitment Problem. The Role of Moral Emotions and Self-Serving Justifications.

ABSTRACT: This study focuses on determinants underlying young persons" self-reported intentions to steal a small amount of money. From an evolutionary standpoint, theft is a frequency-dependent strategy that may have been favored because it gave individuals a reproductively-relevant advantage in the competition for scarce resources. Although human groups do not tolerate the act of stealing, theft is still very common. Our study is rooted in Robert Frank's theory of the moral commitment problem. Moral emotions such as anticipated guilt are devices designed by evolutionary forces to motivate cooperative behavior in situations entailing a commitment problem. However, the anticipation of guilt feelings can be circumvented by self-serving justifications, therefore increasing the likelihood to steal. A la

SUBMITTER: De Buck A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10358416 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul-Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature