1. Moralization of Self-Control
Jesse Graham
University of Southern California
April 25, 2016
In this talk, I will present my ongoing work on the interplay between power, ideology, and the legitimation of inequality.

2. Project Team Jesse Graham Marlon Mooijman Morteza Dehghani John Doris
John Monterosso Daphna Oyserman Peter Meindl
All at usc except John Doris, at wash u, moral philosopher becoming interested in text analysis [milgram]; Morteza in computer science and psychology, expert in advanced big data and text analysis techniques, john Monterosso neuroscientist studies addiction and self-control, pete and lucas grad students, studying morality and health behaviors, and habits

3. Project Team Jesse Graham Marlon Mooijman Morteza Dehghani John Doris
John Monterosso Daphna Oyserman Peter Meindl
All at usc except John Doris, at wash u, moral philosopher becoming interested in text analysis [milgram]; Morteza in computer science and psychology, expert in advanced big data and text analysis techniques, john Monterosso neuroscientist studies addiction and self-control, pete and lucas grad students, studying morality and health behaviors, and habits

4. Main Goals
Understand the multiple ways self-control goals can be moralized (e.g., in terms of fairness or purity)
Determine which kinds of moralization can increase (or decrease) the likelihood of actually meeting those self-control goals
I have done this work in collaboration with many great scholars, including John Jost, Tom Tyler, Matthew Feinberg, Robb Willer, Aaron Kay, Caroline Wilmuth and Marlon Mooijman.

5. Self-control Self-control principles can help improve moral behavior
Self-control goals are also commonly moralized
Moralization of self-control goals can help achieve them (e.g., moral vegetarians)
But which kinds of moralization help, or hinder,
achievement of self-control goals?
—Baumeister & Exline, 1999
—Haidt & Hersh, 2001; Rozin, 2008; Rozin & Singh, 1999
—Rozin, Markwith, & Stoess, 1997
I have done this work in collaboration with many great scholars, including John Jost, Tom Tyler, Matthew Feinberg, Robb Willer, Aaron Kay, Caroline Wilmuth and Marlon Mooijman.

6. Pluralisms, in Morality and Self-Control
Moral Foundations Theory
Care/harm
Individualizing
Fairness/cheating
Loyalty/betrayal
I have done this work in collaboration with many great scholars, including John Jost, Tom Tyler, Matthew Feinberg, Robb Willer, Aaron Kay, Caroline Wilmuth and Marlon Mooijman.
Authority/subversion
Binding
Purity/degradation
— Graham, Haidt, Koleva, Iyer,
Motyl, Ditto, & Wojcik, 2013

7. Pluralisms, in Morality and Self-Control
Moral Foundations Theory
Self-Control Domains
Money
Care/harm
Substances
Fairness/cheating
Food
Loyalty/betrayal
Exercise
I have done this work in collaboration with many great scholars, including John Jost, Tom Tyler, Matthew Feinberg, Robb Willer, Aaron Kay, Caroline Wilmuth and Marlon Mooijman.
Authority/subversion
Work
Purity/degradation
Relationships
— Graham, Haidt, Koleva, Iyer,
Motyl, Ditto, & Wojcik, 2013
— Tsukyama, Duckworth, & Kim, 2015

8. Question 1 Question 2 Question 3
How, when, and for whom do self-control goals become moralized, and what forms does this moralization take?
Question 2
How can we use different kinds of moral concerns to affect self-control behavior?
Question 3
For which person-situation combinations can moral values and concerns actually stand in the way of attaining self-control goals?
I have done this work in collaboration with many great scholars, including John Jost, Tom Tyler, Matthew Feinberg, Robb Willer, Aaron Kay, Caroline Wilmuth and Marlon Mooijman.

9. Overview of Studies
Study 1: Which moral concerns predict self-control moralization?
- N = 315, MTurk
Study 2: Replication including RWA, SDO, collectivism
- N = 1,145, YourMorals.org
Study 3: Rule out self-interest
- N = 104, USC students
Study 4: Linking changes in moral and self-control word use over time
- N > 5 million books, Google Ngrams
Study 5: Association perceptions
- N = 152, MTurk
Study 6: Sumerian warrior experiment
- N = 141, MTurk
Study 7: Group morality experiment
- N = 103, MTurk
It is routinely assumed that the legitimation of authority and hierarchy is engaged in more or less exclusively by the powerful.
Past approaches have emphasized the role of elites’ superior resources, propaganda, access to state power and coercion and manipulation in explaining why systems of inequality emerge and are endured by the powerless.
Our approach complements these past approaches by focusing on legitimation from the “bottom up.” Specifically, we focus on system justification motivation….
*Mooijman, *Meindl, Oyserman, Monterosso, Dehghani, Doris, & Graham, in prep

10. Study 1 N=315, MTurk Moral Foundations Questionnaire (α = .85):
- Care/harm: “Compassion for those who are suffering is the most
crucial virtue”
- Fairness/cheating: “Justice is the most important requirement for a society”
- Loyalty/betrayal: “It is more important to be a team player than to express oneself”
- Authority/subversion: “If I were a soldier and disagreed with my
commanding officers’ orders, I would obey anyway because it is
my duty”
- Purity/degradation: “People should not do things that are disgusting, even if no one is harmed”
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
—Graham, Nosek, Haidt, Iyer, Koleva, & Ditto, 2011

11. Study 1 Self-control moralization scale (α = .97):
“People often differ from one another in whether they attach moral significance to various activities. We would like to know which of the following activities you regard as being morally relevant”
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
— Adapted from Tsukyama, Duckworth, & Kim, 2015

12. Study 1 Money Substances Food Exercise Work Relationships
Self-control moralization scale (α = .97):
68 item-scale measuring self-control moralization in 6 domains:
Examples:
“To what extent do you think putting off work is morally relevant?”
“To what extent do you think spending a lot of money is morally relevant?”
Money
Substances
Food
Exercise
Work
Relationships
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
— Adapted from Tsukyama, Duckworth, & Kim, 2015

13. Study 1 Additional measures Political Ideology
- (1) very liberal, (7) very conservative
Religiosity
- How often do you often attend religious services?
- (1) never, (9) several times a week
- How important is religion in your life?
- (1) not important at all, (7) extremely important
Age
Gender
—Jost, 2006; Graham, Haidt, & Nosek, 2009
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
—DeWall et al., 2014

14. Study 1 Money Care/harm Substances Fairness/cheating Food Exercise
Avg. r = .26***
Food
Exercise
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
Work
Relationships

15. Authority/subversion
Study 1
Money
Substances
Avg. r = .31***
Food
Loyalty/betrayal
Exercise
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
Authority/subversion
Work
Purity/degradation
Relationships

16. Self-control moralization
Results
Individualizing
.07ns
Self-control moralization
Binding
.35***
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

17. Self-control moralization
Results
Individualizing
.07ns
.05
Self-control moralization
Conservatism
Binding
.31***
.35***
.09ns (.17**)
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
95% CI = [0.03, 0.10]
95% CI = [-0.02, 0.03]

18. Self-control moralization
Results
Individualizing
.07ns
.12
Self-control moralization
Religiosity
Binding
.53***
.35***
.11ns (.25**)
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
95% CI = [0.03, 0.10]
95% CI = [-0.02, 0.03]

19. Study 2 N=1,145, YourMorals.org
Moral Foundations Questionnaire (α = .81):
Self-control moralization questionnaire (α = .90):
Horizontal & Vertical Collectivism (α = .75):
Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA; α = .66):
Social Dominance Orientation (SDO;α = .71):
—cf. Study 1
—cf. Study1
—Singelis et al., 1995
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
—Altemeyer, 1988
—Pratto & Sidanius, 1994

20. Self-control moralization
Study 2
Care
Fairness
Self-control moralization
r = .03
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

21. Self-control moralization
Study 2
r = .40***
Self-control moralization
Loyalty
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
Authority
Purity

22. Self-control moralization
Results
Individualizing
.20ns
Self-control moralization
Binding
.68***
It is routinely assumed that the legitimation of authority and hierarchy is engaged in more or less exclusively by the powerful.
Past approaches have emphasized the role of elites’ superior resources, propaganda, access to state power and coercion and manipulation in explaining why systems of inequality emerge and are endured by the powerless.
Our approach complements these past approaches by focusing on legitimation from the “bottom up.” Specifically, we focus on system justification motivation….

23. Self-control moralization
Results
SDO
.-.17ns
Individualizing
.04ns
Self-control moralization
Binding
.54***
.12ns
RWA
It is routinely assumed that the legitimation of authority and hierarchy is engaged in more or less exclusively by the powerful.
Past approaches have emphasized the role of elites’ superior resources, propaganda, access to state power and coercion and manipulation in explaining why systems of inequality emerge and are endured by the powerless.
Our approach complements these past approaches by focusing on legitimation from the “bottom up.” Specifically, we focus on system justification motivation….
.15*
Collectivism

24. Study 3 N = 104, USC students Rule out self-interest explanation
Included self-control self-interest scale
Money, substances, food, exercise, work, relationships
Modify self-control moralization DV
Rate self-control failures as immoral (direct moral judgment) rather than just morally relevant
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

25. Self-control moralization
Results
Individualizing
-.25*
Self-control moralization
Binding
.35***
.17ns
SC self-interest
It is routinely assumed that the legitimation of authority and hierarchy is engaged in more or less exclusively by the powerful.
Past approaches have emphasized the role of elites’ superior resources, propaganda, access to state power and coercion and manipulation in explaining why systems of inequality emerge and are endured by the powerless.
Our approach complements these past approaches by focusing on legitimation from the “bottom up.” Specifically, we focus on system justification motivation….

26. Study 4
200 years of text in > 5 million books analyzed on ngram (google)
Using Moral Foundations LIWC Dictionary words
Eight words most relevant to each moral foundation
- Care, harm, suffer, fair, equal, loyal, obey, pious, etc.
6 words related to self-control
- Willpower, self-control, discipline, temptation, temptations,
tempting.
—Graham, Haidt, & Nosek, 2009
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

27. Study 4 – ngram example
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

28. Results Indivualizing words Self-control words Binding words .09ns
.56***
It is routinely assumed that the legitimation of authority and hierarchy is engaged in more or less exclusively by the powerful.
Past approaches have emphasized the role of elites’ superior resources, propaganda, access to state power and coercion and manipulation in explaining why systems of inequality emerge and are endured by the powerless.
Our approach complements these past approaches by focusing on legitimation from the “bottom up.” Specifically, we focus on system justification motivation….

29. Future Text Analysis plans
Time-lag models
Use word proximity within texts to pinpoint when different behaviors became moralized or de-moralized
Cf. Rozin’s claim on food eclipsing sex as the big moral topic
Machine learning techniques to distinguish self-control failures from successes
Content analysis of how people spontaneously moralize their self-control goals

30. Study 5
N=152, MTurk
“Which of these words do you associate more strongly with self-control?”
80 word pairs, contrasting group morality (e.g. loyalty, respect, authority) with individual morality (e.g. compassion, rights, kindness)
Group morality more associated with self-control overall
M = 0.63, SD = 0.22; t(151) = 7.01, p < .001, d = 1.14
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
Contrast M SD t p d
Loyalty vs. Harm
0.60
0.23
5.39
< .001
0.88
Loyalty vs. Fairness
0.64
0.27
6.48
1.05
Purity vs. Harm
0.57
0.32
2.57
= .011
0.42
Purity vs. Fairness
0.54
0.29
1.82
= .071
0.30
Authority vs. Harm
0.70
0.26
9.59
1.56
Authority vs. Fairness
0.69
0.31
11.09
1.80

31. Study 6 N=141, MTurk Sumerian warrior manipulation
Oyserman & Lee, 2008
DV: Self-control moralization
How immoral is it for the warrior to fail to self-control in work, money, food, etc.
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

32. Sumerian Samurai
BINDING - Sostoras was a great cultural hero of ancient Sumer. More than from anything else, Sostoras’s fame derived from his reputation as a man of exceptional character. Throughout his life, Sostoras showed unwavering loyalty and patriotism, as well as a ceaseless respect for the traditions of his society. He was also considered a true holy man on account of his deep and lasting piousness and chasteness.   As a result of his superior moral standing, Sostoras was eventually awarded a small kingdom of his own to rule. For 50 years, Sostoras worked tirelessly to purify his kingdom by cultivating the character and virtuousness of his citizens. When Sostoras finally died, his kingdom was known throughout Sumer as a bastion for purity, respect for tradition, and extraordinary loyalty.  
INDIVIDUALIZING - Sostoras was a great cultural hero of ancient Sumer. More than from anything else, Sostora’s fame derived from his reputation as a man of exceptional character.  Throughout his life, Sostoras showed unwavering concern for the well-being of others, as well as a ceaseless commitment to justice and fairness. As a result of his superior moral standing, Sostoras was eventually awarded a small kingdom of his own to rule. For 50 years, Sostoras worked tirelessly to improve his kingdom by cultivating the character and virtuousness of his citizens. When Sostoras finally died, his kingdom was known throughout Sumer as a bastion for compassion, fairness, and equality.    
CONTROL - Sostoras was a man who lived in ancient Sumer. Sostoras was a pottery producer. Throughout his life, Sostoras enjoyed talking about the events of the day with other people.  As a result of living in Sumer, Sostoras was a Sumerian citizen. This gave him the right to own, and cultivate, land. It is unclear to historians whether Sostoras took advantage of this right. When Sostoras died, he left behind a lot of pottery.
To what extent do you admire Sostoras? 

33. Results *** * † Self-control moralization
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

34. Please write why you agree with this statement
Study 7
N=103, MTurk
Binding versus Individualizing manipulation
[…..] morality is ultimately about what is good for [society as a whole / individuals within society]. Though we naturally feel good when we do a nice thing for [a specific individual / society as a whole] , if this action does not help [our society as a whole / specific individuals] then it cannot be considered good, moral, and ethical.
Please write why you agree with this statement
DV: Self-control moralization questionnaire
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

35. Results Self-control moralization t(93) = 2.51, p = .01, d = 0.53
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.
t(93) = 2.51, p = .01, d = 0.53

36. Results Self-control moralization
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

37. Conclusions, Future Directions
Group-oriented morality, but not individual-oriented morality, increases self-control moralization
This group-oriented morality helps explain why conservatives and religious people are more likely to moralize self-control
Future work: Focus on link between self-control moralization and self-control behavior
Question 2
How can we use different kinds of moral concerns to affect self-control behavior?
This study concerned a nationally representative sample of US employees who answered a series of questions about their immediate supervisors.
Participants were screened to ensure that they worked at least 20 hours a week and had a primary supervisor. Our final sample included 1,530 participants who had had the same supervisor for at least a year.

38. Thanks! And now… LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… MORTEZA DEHGHANI