When Does Recognition Increase Charitable Behavior? Toward a Moral Identity-Based Model

Karen Page Winterich; Vikas Mittal; Karl Aquino

doi:10.1509/jm.11.0477

When Does Recognition Increase Charitable Behavior? Toward a Moral Identity-Based Model

Journal of Marketing ◽

10.1509/jm.11.0477 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 77 (3) ◽

pp. 121-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 102

Author(s):

Karen Page Winterich ◽

Vikas Mittal ◽

Karl Aquino

Keyword(s):

Moral Identity ◽

Charitable Behavior ◽

Identity Based

Download Full-text

Moral Identity and Protest Cascades in Syria

British Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s0007123416000235 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 877-901 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Wendy Pearlman

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

High Risk ◽

Expected Utility ◽

Moral Obligation ◽

Moral Identity ◽

Sense Of Self ◽

Causal Chain ◽

Cascade Models ◽

Identity Based ◽

The Masses

Cascade models explain the roles of the intrepid few who initiate protest and the masses who join when the expected utility of dissent flips from negative to positive. Yet questions remain about what motivates participation between those points on the causal chain, or under any conditions of high risk. To explain these anomalies, this article employs theories of moral identity to explore the interdependence of a facet of decision making that rationalist models typically regard as fixed: individuals’ awareness of and need to express values central to their sense of self. Three mechanisms describe ways that individuals’ responses to early risers trigger moral identity-based motivations for protest. First, by conjuring normative ideals, first movers can activate bystanders’ urge to follow their example in order to earn their own self-respect. Secondly, by demonstrating the joy of agency, early risers can inspire bystanders’ desire to experience the same gratification. Thirdly, by absorbing punishments, early risers can activate onlookers’ sense of moral obligation to contribute to collective efforts. These mechanisms redouble bystanders’ sense of the inherent value of protest, apart from its instrumental utility, and intensify their acceptance of risks, independent of the actual risks anticipated. Original interviews with displaced Syrians about their participation in demonstrations illustrate these processes.

Download Full-text