What moral identity and competing selves can add to moral foundations theory: Comment on Ramos, Johnson, VanEpps & Graham (2024)

Abstract

In a provocative and insightful analysis, Ramos et al. (Journal of Consumer Psychology, 2024) propose the introduction of Moral Foundations Theory (hereafter MFT)—as a useful framework to (1) explain moral consumer decision-making more granularly and (2) set forth unique, testable future hypotheses in the field of marketing and consumer psychology. I discuss and build on their analysis to expand (1) but also narrow (2). I couch their conceptualization in the context of a multiple-identity framework (Consumer Psychology Review, 2021, 4, 100) and move slightly away from their useful but perhaps more taxonomic approach. I try to buttress their work by situating MFT in the context of how the process of moral identity (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2002, 83, 1423) competes with other identities (cf. Journal of Marketing Research, 2020, 57, 375; Current Opinion in Psychology 2016, 10, 94) to help determine when and how the building blocks of moral foundations may become critical drivers of consumption in the areas of persuasion, emotions, and prosocial charitable consumer behavior.