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Morality in Groups: On the Social‐Regulatory Functions of Right and Wrong
Author(s) -
Ellemers Naomi,
van den Bos Kees
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
social and personality psychology compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.699
H-Index - 53
ISSN - 1751-9004
DOI - 10.1111/spc3.12001
Subject(s) - morality , psychology , function (biology) , social psychology , identity (music) , group (periodic table) , social identity theory , social function , social group , moral standards , moral development , social cognitive theory of morality , epistemology , sociology , social science , philosophy , chemistry , physics , organic chemistry , evolutionary biology , acoustics , biology
Applying what we know about group‐based identities and concerns allows us to improve our understanding of the ways in which morality is relevant to social judgments of right and wrong. We distinguish between three different social functions of moral standards and moral judgments. The identity defining function of morality indicates where people want to belong, and how they are regarded by others. The group dynamic function indicates consensual definitions of what is right and wrong that guide individual behavioral choices. The intergroup relations function of group morality, speaks to the way people tend to communicate with and behave towards members of other groups that have different moral standards.