The Moral Identity Questionnaire predicts prosocial behavior better than the Moral Identity Scale

Abstract

Recently, a growing number of studies has shown the relevance of Moral Identity to explain (im)moral conduct. The present study compared two moral identity measures in two independent samples (N = 282 and 245): i.e., the Moral Identity Scale (Aquino and Reed, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 83:1423–1440, 2002) and the Moral Identity Questionnaire (Black and Reynolds, Personality and Individual Differences 97:120–129, 2016). The results revealed that the two scales are rather modestly correlated, which raises the question of whether they are measuring the same construct. Overall, hierarchical regression analyses revealed that the Moral Identity Questionnaire subscales were the superior predictors of (self-reported) moral behavior. Accordingly, this study suggests the use of the Moral Identity Questionnaire over the use of the Moral Identity Scale for the prediction of (im)moral behavior. Future research, however, should also include behavioral measures of (im)moral behavior rather than relying on self-reported behavior only.