Pride and moral disengagement: associations among comparison-based pride, moral disengagement, and unethical decision-making

Pride has rarely been explored in the context of moral disengagement and unethical decision-making. Although some research has examined the associations between “authentic” and “hubristic” pride and unethical behaviour, little attention has been paid to potential mechanisms. Across two correlational studies (N = 379), we explore the associations between two facets of pride rooted on comparisons–social comparison-based pride, and self-based pride, moral disengagement, and unethical decision-making. Results show that social comparison-based pride consistently (positively) relates to moral disengagement, and that moral disengagement accounts for the association between social comparison-based pride and unethical decision-making. In sum, our findings contribute in novel ways to the understanding of how pride based in different comparison frames may lead to antisocial decision-making.