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Ethics and Well-Being: The Paradoxical Implications of Individual Differences in Ethical Orientation

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Abstract

Following on theoretical work and studies that assert a relationship between unethical activities and diminished well-being, and a common belief that those more ethically inclined experience greater well-being, the present study examined whether individual differences in ethical orientation may be associated with the experience of well-being. This paper reports the findings of two separate studies showing that individual differences in moral attentiveness, moral identity, idealism, relativism, and integrity were associated with differences in a wide range of well-being measures. Of particular significance is not all ethical orientations were found to contribute to well-being. In fact, some negatively impacted individual levels of well-being. Implications for integrating these new findings into existing ethical theory and considerations for future research are explored.

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Notes

  1. The idealism scale correlates .92 with the original subscale; the relativism scale correlates .89 with the original subscale.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Daniels Chair in Business Ethics, Daniels College of Business, University of Denver, Denver, USA

    Robert A. Giacalone

  2. Department of Management, Zarb College of Business, Hofstra University, Hempstead, USA

    Carole L. Jurkiewicz

  3. Department of Management, College of Business Administration, Rider University, Lawrence Township, USA

    Mark Promislo

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  1. Robert A. Giacalone
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  2. Carole L. Jurkiewicz
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  3. Mark Promislo
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Correspondence to Robert A. Giacalone.

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Giacalone, R.A., Jurkiewicz, C.L. & Promislo, M. Ethics and Well-Being: The Paradoxical Implications of Individual Differences in Ethical Orientation. J Bus Ethics 137, 491–506 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2558-8

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