Understanding the consequences of pride and shame: how self-evaluations guide moral decision making in business

Understanding how morally responsible and irresponsible business actions lead to feelings of pride and shame can help us learn more about what motivates moral decision making. This study examines how these particular self-conscious emotions interact with two variables depicting a person's other-orientation, which is made up of other-directed values and perspective-taking. Through an experimental design, we unpack their conjoint influence on moral decisions that either promote the organization or repair the damage done to it. By doing so, we contribute to the existing literature by clarifying nuances between self-conscious and moral emotions, and by testing the specific influence of pride and shame on moral decision-making.