The Authentic Moral Self: Dynamic Interplay between Perceived Authenticity and Moral Behaviors in the Workplace

Abstract

Authentic experiences are deeply tied to human existential concerns and have implications for psychological well-being and optimal functioning. Importantly, previous studies suggest a mutually reinforcing relationship between authenticity and moral behaviors. The current research aims to extend this line of research to work-specific contexts. We found, among two U.S. samples that (a) perceiving oneself as having behaved morally prompted feelings of authenticity at work (Study 1), (b) people who tried to be authentic (vs. be realistic or rational) were less willing to engage in immoral behaviors at workplace (Study 2), and among a Chinese sample that (c) daily fluctuations in morality and authenticity covaried with each other, both contributing positively to job satisfaction and meaning in work (Study 3). Together, the findings demonstrate a bidirectional relationship between moral behaviors and authenticity in the workplace.

Inauthenticity aversion: Moral reactance toward tainted actors, actions, and objects

“…Note that this pattern of reactions closely resembles how a consumer might respond to any moral violation (e.g., harm, injustice), and this resemblance suggests that inauthenticity may itself be seen by consumers as a form of moral transgression. In support of this position, many recent empirical investigations of inauthenticity have used dependent variables which are fundamentally moral in nature, devising process models which situate perceptions of inauthenticity as psychologically adjacent to judgments of purity (Beverland, 2006), communal motives (Gershon & Cryder, 2018; Lin‐Healy & Small, 2012), honesty, trustworthiness, and moral character (Newman & Cain, 2014; Silver & Silverman, 2020; Zhang et al., 2019). Of course, not all moral violations will provoke perceptions of inauthenticity.…”

Understanding the Relationship Between Perceived Authenticity and Well-Being

“…Further, a growing area of empirical research has cast doubt on the validity of self-reported authenticity by showing the degree to which those reports are contaminated by positively valenced behavior (Christy, Seto, Schlegel, Vess, & Hicks, 2016;Fleeson & Wilt, 2010;Jongman-Sereno & Leary, 2016;Zhang, Chen, Schlegel, & Hicks, 2018) and positive mood (Lenton, Bruder, Slabu, & Sedikides, 2013). For instance, Fleeson and Wilt (2010) found that individuals behaving in socially valued ways (e.g., highly extraverted and conscientious) feel more authentic regardless of their underlying individual traits.…”

To Be Authentic, to Be Eco: Exploring the Link Between Authenticity and Pro-environmental Behavior

“…A great deal of relevant research has indicated that self-reported authenticity is linked with interpersonal and intrapersonal well-being ( Wickham et al, 2016 ; Ryan and Ryan, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ; Sutton, 2020 ). Similarly, experimental studies also showed that people whose authenticity were temporarily elicited via a brief manipulation reported higher scores on well-being scales, regardless of their trait authenticity ( Schlegel et al, 2009 ; Kifer et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Relevant to our present work, researchers found that authenticity was related to morality ( Gino et al, 2015 ). Morality is often seen as one of the characteristics of one’s authentic self ( Newman et al, 2015 ; Ryan and Ryan, 2019 ; Stanley and De Brigard, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ). Even the authentic self of the enemy is deemed as moral ( De Freitas and Cikara, 2018 ).…”

“…Investigations showed that trait authenticity was negatively associated with aggressive behavior, and positively with ethical behavior ( Pinto et al, 2012 ; McCormick et al, 2015 ; Knoll et al, 2016 ). Likewise, experimental research showed that the sense of authenticity could promote individuals’ moral behavior in diverse settings ( Kim et al, 2018 ; Zhang et al, 2019 ). For instance, when participants were asked to describe the experience of being authentic to themselves, they reported higher sense of moral self-regard ( Gino et al, 2015 ).…”