Abstract
In four studies, we evaluated how corporate misconduct relates to language patterns, perceptions of immorality, and unethical behavior. First, we analyzed nearly 190 codes of conduct from S&P 500 manufacturing companies and observed that corporations with ethics infractions had more linguistically obfuscated codes than corporations without ethics infractions. Next, we tested perceptions of a company based on values statements modified by obfuscation (Study 2). Participants perceived low-obfuscation companies as more moral, warmer, and more trustworthy than high-obfuscation companies. Finally, behavioral experiments (Studies 3a and 3b) revealed that group members cheat more after reading a high-obfuscation values statement than a low-obfuscation values statement. The results provide evidence of a potentially troublesome cycle: corporate unethicality has linguistic traces, can affect how people appraise a company, and can change ethical behavior.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 277-296 |
Number of pages | 20 |
Journal | Journal of Language and Social Psychology |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2021 |
Keywords
- corporate unethicality
- deception
- deception spiral
- obfuscation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Psychology
- Education
- Language and Linguistics
- Anthropology
- Sociology and Political Science
- Linguistics and Language