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Psychological Phenomena

Self-Licensing

Decision-Making and Judgment Biases

Self-licensing, also called moral self-licensing or moral licensing, is a phenomenon in social psychology and marketing in which increased confidence in one's own moral self-image makes a person worry less about the consequences of behaving badly afterward, making an immoral or unhealthy choice more likely. In one illustrative example, a person who orders a diet soda alongside a high-calorie meal subconsciously discounts the meal's negative qualities because of the virtuous choice made alongside it.

Facts
Core Claim
Self-licensing (also moral self-licensing, moral licensing, or licensing effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one's self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally. 1
First Described Year
2001 2
Classification
Type of Phenomenon
Cognitive Phenomenon 1
Connections

In Branch

Source Wikipedia: Self-licensing
Source Wikipedia: Self-licensing
Sources
1. Self-licensing (Wikipedia)
  • Lead paragraph
    Self-licensing (also moral self-licensing, moral licensing, or licensing effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one's self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally.
  • lead section, phenomenon-kind classification (self-licensing)
    Self-licensing (also moral self-licensing, moral licensing, or licensing effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one's self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally.
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2. Wikipedia: Self-licensing
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead
    The self-licensing effect was examined by Monin and Miller in a 2001 study which demonstrated that when Princeton undergraduates established "non-prejudiced" credentials, they were more willing to express "prejudiced-sounding" opinions to an audience
  • In Branch: Cognitive Psychology, Lead section
    Self-licensing (also moral self-licensing, moral licensing, or licensing effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one's self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally.
  • In Branch: Moral Psychology, Lead section
    Self-licensing (also moral self-licensing, moral licensing, or licensing effect) is a term used in social psychology and marketing to describe the subconscious phenomenon whereby increased confidence and security in one's self-image or self-concept tends to make that individual worry less about the consequences of subsequent immoral behavior and, therefore, more likely to make immoral choices and act immorally.
View the Source
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