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Feeling Good by Doing Good: A Selfish Motivation for Ethical Choice

DOI:10.1007/s10551-019-04121-y
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Remi Trudel at Boston University
Remi Trudel
Jill Klein
Jill Klein
Jill Klein
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Sankar Sen
Sankar Sen
Sankar Sen
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Niraj Dawar
Niraj Dawar
Niraj Dawar
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Abstract and Figures

This paper examines the question of why consumers engage in ethical consumption. The authors draw on self-affirmation theory to propose that the choice of an ethical product serves a self-restorative function. Four experiments provide support for this assertion: a self-threat increases consumers’ choice of an ethical option, even when the alternative choice is objectively superior in quantity (Study 1) and product quality (Study 2). Further, restoring self-esteem through positive feedback eliminates this increase in ethical choice (Studies 2 and 3). As an additional test of the robustness of our results, a final study examined the effect of self-threat on choice in a field setting (Study 4). The findings indicate that ethical purchases are not just altruistic. They hold purposeful individual value and can help in the self-restorative process. Implications for managers making decisions regarding investment in ethical product features are discussed.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
1 3
Journal of Business Ethics (2020) 166:39–49
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04121-y
ORIGINAL PAPER
Feeling Good byDoing Good: ASelsh Motivation forEthical Choice
RemiTrudel1· JillKlein2,3· SankarSen4,5· NirajDawar6
Received: 30 September 2018 / Accepted: 27 January 2019 / Published online: 23 February 2019
© Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract
This paper examines the question of why consumers engage in ethical consumption. The authors draw on self-affirmation
theory to propose that the choice of an ethical product serves a self-restorative function. Four experiments provide support
for this assertion: a self-threat increases consumers’ choice of an ethical option, even when the alternative choice is objec-
tively superior in quantity (Study 1) and product quality (Study 2). Further, restoring self-esteem through positive feedback
eliminates this increase in ethical choice (Studies 2 and 3). As an additional test of the robustness of our results, a final study
examined the effect of self-threat on choice in a field setting (Study 4). The findings indicate that ethical purchases are not
just altruistic. They hold purposeful individual value and can help in the self-restorative process. Implications for managers
making decisions regarding investment in ethical product features are discussed.
Keywords Ethical consumption· Sustainability· Self-affirmation· Self-restoration· Moral choice
Introduction
The emergence of “ethical” criteria in consumers’ purchase
motivations has led to interest in whether consumers are
willing to buy, and even pay more for, products that are
labeled Fairtrade (FT), environmentally friendly, or that
otherwise claim a benefit for the community or for human-
ity. Research finds that ethical consumption—defined by
Cooper-Martin and Holbrook (1993, p. 113) as “decision-
making, purchases and other consumption experiences that
are affected by the consumer’s ethical concerns”—plays a
role in consumer choices. Consumers like and choose prod-
ucts that they perceive as socially responsible, and consumer
loyalty and even positive judgments of product features can
flow from perceptions of social responsibility (see Sen etal.
2016 for a recent review).
Marketplace surveys show that many consumers profess
to take corporate social responsibility (CSR) into account
when choosing products. For example, a recent Cone Com-
munication (2017) survey found that 87% of Americans said
they would buy a product that supports a social and/or envi-
ronmental issue they care about, whereas 76% said that they
would stop buying products from firms whose ethical stances
they do not agree with. There are concerns, however, that
survey results may overstate consumer intentions and fail
to predict actual choice behavior. This “ethical purchasing
gap” (Bray etal. 2011) could be due, among other factors,
* Remi Trudel
rtrudel@bu.edu
Jill Klein
jillkleinmbs@gmail.com
Sankar Sen
Sankar.Sen@baruch.cuny.edu
Niraj Dawar
ndawar@ivey.uwo.ca
1 Questrom School ofBusiness, Boston University, 595
Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA02215, USA
2 Melbourne Business School, 200 Leicester St., Carlton,
VIC3053, Australia
3 Melbourne Medical School, University ofMelbourne,
Parkville, VIC, Australia
4 Zicklin School ofBusiness, Baruch College CUNY, One
Bernard Baruch Way, Box B12-240, NewYork, NY10010,
USA
5 Sasin Graduate Institute ofBusiness Administration
ofChulalongkorn University, Sasa Patasala Building,
Phayathai Road, Bangkok10330, Thailand
6 Richard Ivey School ofBusiness, University ofWestern
Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, ONN6A3K7,
Canada
Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.
... According to these studies, consumers view eco-friendly consumption as an individual sacrifice in favor of the community and often perceive this sacrifice as too big to make (Longo et al., 2019). These studies assumed that prosocial motives (e.g., altruism) drive ethical consumption (e.g., Kozinets & Handelman, 2004;De Groot & Steg, 2009;Smith, 1990;Trudel & Cotte, 2009;Trudel et al., 2020) through a compensating mechanism for individual sacrifice. Other studies introduced the concept of collective well-being, in which consumers look beyond their selfish needs to adopt sustainable practices (Halder et al., 2020) motivated by the desire to help others (Habel et al., 2016). ...
... Recent research has proposed a different perspective, however: sustainable consumption as an individual well-being matter where collective and individual goals are complementary (and not competing) objectives. Ethical purchases are considered a way to reach self-enhancing goals, rather than merely individual sacrifices in favor of the community (Rahman, 2019;Trudel et al., 2020). Thus, research suggests that ethical consumption is driven not merely by altruistic motives but by more of a balance between "caring for the self, for community and for nature" (Trudel et al., 2020;p.47). ...
... Ethical purchases are considered a way to reach self-enhancing goals, rather than merely individual sacrifices in favor of the community (Rahman, 2019;Trudel et al., 2020). Thus, research suggests that ethical consumption is driven not merely by altruistic motives but by more of a balance between "caring for the self, for community and for nature" (Trudel et al., 2020;p.47). ...
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