The mismeasure of morals: antisocial personality traits predict utilitarian responses to moral dilemmas

Cognition. 2011 Oct;121(1):154-61. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.05.010. Epub 2011 Jul 16.

Abstract

Researchers have recently argued that utilitarianism is the appropriate framework by which to evaluate moral judgment, and that individuals who endorse non-utilitarian solutions to moral dilemmas (involving active vs. passive harm) are committing an error. We report a study in which participants responded to a battery of personality assessments and a set of dilemmas that pit utilitarian and non-utilitarian options against each other. Participants who indicated greater endorsement of utilitarian solutions had higher scores on measures of Psychopathy, machiavellianism, and life meaninglessness. These results question the widely-used methods by which lay moral judgments are evaluated, as these approaches lead to the counterintuitive conclusion that those individuals who are least prone to moral errors also possess a set of psychological characteristics that many would consider prototypically immoral.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antisocial Personality Disorder / psychology*
  • Decision Making*
  • Emotions
  • Ethical Theory*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Judgment
  • Male
  • Morals*
  • Personality*