Emotional Components Of Unethical Decisions: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The role of emotions in decision-making has been explored by others and has revealed that both immediate emotions, those present at the time of the decision, and expected emotions, those expected to result from a decision, effect which alternative will be chosen (Lowenstein, 2001). The significance of emotions in behavior decisions has also been estimated as it relates to product and service choice (Morris, 2002). This research employs a mixed-method design to understand the role emotions play in making decisions regarding ethical behavior. The research applies a validated technique for measuring human emotions to determine whether there is an emotional reaction to the mere consideration of unethical behavior and which emotions, if any, respond to the thought of unethical behavior.