The antecedents of moral identity: A meta-analytic review

Abstract

Moral identity is an important self-concept. Taking a social cognitive perspective, we propose an integrative framework to examine the relationships between moral identity and its antecedents, including demographic variables, personality traits, and organizational contexts (specifically leadership style and ethical climate). An analysis of the effect sizes in 110 studies involving 44,441 participants shows that gender, personality traits, and organizational context are strongly associated with moral identity. The moral identity measure used, cultural tendencies toward individualism or collectivism, and demographic characteristics moderate the relationships between moral identity and its antecedents. The significance and implications of the factors that influence moral identity are discussed.