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Conceptual foundations of principled behaviour tendencies: Implications of the commitment to principles

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Abstract

Ethical ideologies incorporate distinct features as they are quite influential with respect to a personal commitment to moral principles. As the endpoints of a continuum, principled and expedient ethical ideologies function as the pathfinders for individuals along various ethical paths. In this sense, due to their multifarious components and implications in human relations, an elaboration of the mechanisms underlying principled ethical ideologies merits further attention. For this reason, this study aimed to a) investigate some cognitive, emotional and behavioural factors and personality traits related to principled behaviour; b) develop a valid and reliable scale to evaluate the principled behaviour tendencies of people holding a principled ideology; and c) reveal the links between principled behaviour and self-construal, authenticity and psychological needs. The results of three studies have demonstrated that being principled is a combination of certain cognitive, emotional and behavioural factors and personality traits. Furthermore, individualistic, relational and collectivistic self-construal, authenticity and autonomy as well as relatedness and competence within the context of psychological needs were potent predictors of being principled.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This study arose from the first author’s previous PhD dissertation which was made possible through the support of TÜBİTAK (2228-B) and the Department of Scientific Research Projects at Eskişehir Osmangazi University (2019-2770).”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara, Turkey

    Nurseven Kılıç

  2. Department of Guidance and Psychological Counselling, Eskişehir Osmangazi University, Eskişehir, Turkey

    Ayşe Aypay

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  1. Nurseven Kılıç
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  2. Ayşe Aypay
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Correspondence to Nurseven Kılıç.

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Kılıç, N., Aypay, A. Conceptual foundations of principled behaviour tendencies: Implications of the commitment to principles. Curr Psychol 41, 1633–1652 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02402-2

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