Threat to control promotes utilitarian moral judgement: The role of judgement type and length of control deprivation

Abstract

In three studies (total N = 622), the effects of threat to control on subsequent moral judgement were examined. After recalling a lack-of-control experience, participants evaluated the morality of a protagonist's decisions in a series of incongruent moral dilemmas. We found that a control-threatening reminder made moral judgements more utilitarian on the deontological–utilitarian dimension, which is consistent with the control motivation theory. However, this effect depended on the type of judgement and the duration of control deprivation. It emerged only when evaluating moral legitimacy, not overall moral acceptability, and only under brief control-threatening situations, not long ones. Thus, control threat made moral reasoning more utilitarian only when factors promoting more careful, exhaustive story processing were at play. Presumably, under these conditions, the non-specific motivation to regain control—by prompting effortful processing—allowed participants to weigh the moral pros and cons before reaching a final judgement.