In this first of two episodes about moral identity, Mike and Elizabeth discuss the possibility that the outrage emblematic of cancel culture may not always be the prosocial justice-focused emotion that the activists claim. Moral outrage might also be used to enhance personal beliefs about moral character. The research we discuss in this podcast suggests that reminders of personal moral failings increased the motivation to blame and punish a third-party (country, company or industry). Expressions of moral outrage served to both alleviate guilt and repair moral identity.
Rothschild, Z. K., & Keefer, L. A. (2017). A cleansing fire: Moral outrage alleviates guilt and buffers threats to one’s moral identity. Motivation and Emotion, 41(2), 209–229.
Simler, K., & Hanson, R. (2018). The elephant in the brain: Hidden motives in everyday life. Oxford University Press.
Jordan, J. J., Hoffman, M., Bloom, P., & Rand, D. G. (2016). Third-party punishment as a costly signal of trustworthiness. Nature, 530(7591), 473–476.