Moral Exceptionality in Daily Life: Antecedents, Dynamics, and Consequences of Morally Exceptional Person-Situation Transactions

This project seeks to examine three as of yet unanswered questions about moral exceptionality (ME): (1) How can ME be validly and reliably assessed within a multi-method design (focusing on commonly shared variance among moral identity, moral reputation, and moral behavior enactments)? (2) How does ME operate and unfold in daily life (tracked within individuals for almost one year in a measurement burst design)? (3) Which consequences for adjustment does ME have in the intrapersonal (e.g., positive affect, life satisfaction, flourishing) and interpersonal domain (e.g., liking, attractiveness, admiration, prestige, status)? Together, this research project seeks to illuminate the antecedents, dynamics, and consequences of morally exceptional person-situation transactions in everyday life. By doing so, the four Ps (personality, press of situation, products of morality, and processes in daily life) of “good” morally exceptional people (the Morally Bright) will be contrasted with “bad” morally exceptional people (the Morally Dark) and morally average people (the Morally Gray). These contrasts should answer to what extent the Morally Bright are quantitatively or even qualitatively different from other people. The project is thus expected to provide a first but thorough window into the daily lives of the morally exceptional.