Perception of Sociotropic Corruption, Crisis and (In)Tolerance towardsa Corruption

According to Bandura (2002; Bandura, Barbaranelli, Caprara, & Pastorelli, 1996), individuals often adopt moral disengagement mechanisms when they behave in a manner that is inconsistent with their own values. This process shows us that the moral standards that people use to assess their own behavior can be quite malleable. The current research is developed in line with previous research showing how this process can be directed towards other individuals, namely vis-a-vis individuals who violate the group’s moral integrity norms (e.g., Marques, Abrams, & Serôdio, 2001; Traclet et al., 2015), and especially when those violations pertain to economic crimes (Aguiar, Campos, Pinto, & Marques, 2017; Randsley de Moura & Abrams, 2013). Indeed, it seeks to contribute to the literature suggesting the malleable nature of the perception of corruption and its sensitivity towards other circumstantial factors. Thus, in two studies, we aim to test the relationship between perception of sociotropic corruption and (in)tolerance towards corruption. Moreover, we assess the moderating role of crisis perception in this relationship. Confirming initial hypotheses, in a correlational study, we demonstrate that a stronger perception of sociotropic corruption is associated with a smaller tolerance towards corruption and that this relationship is especially strong when individuals perceive a strong crisis situation. In this work-in-progress, we are now developing an experimental study that aims to replicate the results of the first study and provide a direct test of causality.