Self-Esteem and Dishonest Behavior Revisited
- 1 December 1986
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in The Journal of Social Psychology
- Vol. 126 (6) , 709-713
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.1986.9713652
Abstract
Research within the framework of cognitive consistency theory has generally shown that high self-esteem is a deterrent to dishonest behavior. The degree to which this relationship holds across subject sex is unclear, however, because available studies have produced contradictory findings. The present study examined whether the esteem/honesty relationship would be specified by subject sex when focusing on a behavior that is unquestionably more dishonest than behavior studied in prior research, namely, actual cheating on a classroom exam. The findings indicated a significant deterrent effect of high self-esteem for women but not for men. The results are interpreted as supporting the sex-role socialization explanation advanced by Mussen, Rutherford, Harris, and Keasey (1970), who found similar results in a more contrived experimental arrangement.This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit:
- Characteristic self-esteem, sex, and resistance to temptation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1972
- Induced Self-Esteem as a Determinant of BehaviorThe Journal of Social Psychology, 1971
- Honesty and altruism among preadolescents.Developmental Psychology, 1970
- Dishonest behavior as a function of differential levels of induced self-esteem.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1968